🔍 Key Concepts

• Remember that in the Southern Hemisphere, winds around a low-pressure system (like a hurricane) rotate clockwise. • Think about how the wind direction combines with the storm’s forward motion to make one semicircle more dangerous than the other. • Consider which side of the track has stronger winds, higher seas, and more dangerous navigation conditions due to this combination.

💭 Think About

• If a hurricane is moving forward, on which side will the storm’s rotational wind direction add to the storm’s forward speed? • In the Southern Hemisphere, with clockwise rotation, visualize or sketch the storm and its track: which side ends up with the strongest total wind? • How would your answer differ from the Northern Hemisphere case, and what changes (if anything) when you switch hemispheres?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which way winds rotate around a low-pressure system in the Southern Hemisphere. • Check which side of the storm’s track (direction of movement) gets the combined effect of rotation + forward motion. • Confirm that the “dangerous semicircle” refers to the side with greater wind speed and sea state, not the calm or weaker side.