🔍 Key Concepts

• Navigable semicircle vs dangerous semicircle of a tropical cyclone • How wind direction changes (veers vs backs) as the storm center moves relative to your position • Use of wind shift to infer which side of the storm you are on

💭 Think About

• Think about how the wind direction will change over time if the storm center passes to the right or to the left of your position in the Northern Hemisphere. • Ask yourself: In the navigable semicircle, does the wind tend to rotate clockwise (veering) or counterclockwise (backing) as the storm moves along its track? • Consider which option describes a change over time (a trend), rather than just a single snapshot of strong or gale-force wind.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify the definitions: veering wind (clockwise shift in direction) and backing wind (counterclockwise shift in direction) in the Northern Hemisphere. • Remember that the key to identifying the semicircle is the change in wind direction over time, not just how strong the wind is at one moment. • Confirm for yourself which semicircle is considered safer/navigable and what the typical wind rotation pattern is there in the Northern Hemisphere.