How is latent heat related to the formation of a hurricane

The actual process begins with a cluster of thunderstorms moving across the surface of the ocean. When the surface water is warm, the storm sucks up heat energy from the water, just like a straw sucks up a liquid.

This creates moisture in the air. If wind conditions are right, the storm becomes a hurricane. This heat energy is the fuel for the storm.

And the warmer the water, the more moisture is in the air. Why do I care? Latent heat released during any kind of storm increases instability in the atmosphere potentially causing severe weather.

Sensible heat causes change in temperature due to contact with colder or warmer air of surfaces. I should already be familiar with : Stability , Pressure , Density. Figure A. Latent heat diagram by Chris Woodward. Latent heat is the energy absorbed by or released from a substance during a phase change from a gas to a liquid or a solid or vice versa.

If a substance is changing from a solid to a liquid, for example, the substance needs to absorb energy from the surrounding environment in order to spread out the molecules into a larger, more fluid volume. If the substance is changing from something with lower density, like a gas, to a phase with higher density like a liquid, the substance gives off energy as the molecules come closer together and lose energy from motion and vibration.

For example, when water is boiled over a stove, energy is absorbed from the heating element and goes into expanding the water molecules into a gas, known as water vapor. When liquid water is put into ice cube trays and placed in the freezer, the water gives off energy as the water becomes solid ice.

This energy is removed by the freezer system to keep the freezer cold. Water vapor is a greenhouse gas located in the atmosphere and a very important component for cloud formation. If the air is dry, or unsaturated, clouds are not likely to form because there is minimal water vapor in the air.

If the air is moist, or saturated, the water vapor will condense to form clouds. When these gas molecules condense into liquid drops, latent heat is released into the atmosphere which warms the air surrounding the molecule.

This helps to add instability in the atmosphere and this warm air surrounding the molecule will want to rise. Warm air is less dense than cold air because molecules in warm air move around much faster and move further apart.

Figure B. Latent heat in a thunderstorm Image courtesy of University of Illinois. Silently and invisibly, water changes from liquid to vapor and enters the atmosphere. The energy required to make this change comes from the sun, and this energy is lying in wait — latent — ready to be released when the vapor is condensed into liquid again. This happens in rising air in a cloud or thunderstorm. However, this process alone is not enough to power a hurricane.

A hurricane adds fuel to its own fire by drawing surface air toward its low-pressure center. The tight pressure gradient nearer the center means that the winds grow stronger as the air approaches the eye.