00:00Have you ever wondered why hurricanes seem to mysteriously avoid the equator?
00:04You're not alone.
00:05Today, we're diving into this insane phenomenon
00:09and uncovering the bizarre science behind it.
00:11Stick around to find out where you can go to completely dodge these tropical storms.
00:16Hurricanes are captivating, yet terrifying forces of nature.
00:20They form over warm waters,
00:22where heat and moisture create the perfect storm conditions.
00:26But hold on, why don't they ever venture near the equator?
00:30First, let's clear up some terms.
00:32Cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes are all the same type of storm,
00:36just called different names depending on where they occur.
00:39Hurricanes rage in the North Atlantic,
00:41typhoons spin in the West Pacific,
00:44and cyclones whirl in the Indian Ocean.
00:46So why the equator?
00:48Here's where it gets interesting.
00:50Tropical storms are like massive spinning turbines powered by warm air.
00:54But there's a catch.
00:56The Coriolis effect, caused by the Earth's rotation,
00:59is what makes these storms spin.
01:01In the Northern Hemisphere, they twist counterclockwise.
01:04In the Southern Hemisphere, clockwise.
01:06But guess what?
01:07At the equator, there's virtually no Coriolis effect.
01:11If a storm tried to cross the equator,
01:14it would have to stop spinning one way and start spinning the other.
01:17Imagine trying to turn a tornado around.
01:20Meteorologist Gary Barnes explains that
01:22while it's theoretically possible for a strong storm to do this,
01:26it's never been observed in real life.
01:28Many are calling this fact insane.
01:31One user even joked they just hurricane-crossed the equator.
01:35So now you know, if you want to steer clear of hurricanes,
01:38you might want to hang out near the equator.
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