Wikipedia:Today's featured article/September 21, 2007



The eye is a region of mostly calm weather found at the center of strong tropical cyclones. The eye of a storm is usually circular and typically 30–65 km (20–40 mi) in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, where the most severe weather of a cyclone occurs. The cyclone's lowest barometric pressure occurs in the eye, and can be as much as 15% lower than the atmospheric pressure outside the storm. The eye is possibly the most recognizable feature of tropical cyclones. Surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms, the eye is a roughly-circular area at the cyclone's center of circulation. In strong tropical cyclones, the eye is characterised by light winds and clear skies, surrounded on all sides by a towering, symmetric eyewall. In weaker tropical cyclones, the eye is less well-defined, and can be covered by the central dense overcast, which is an area of high, thick clouds which show up brightly on satellite pictures. Weaker or disorganized storms may also feature an eyewall which does not completely encircle the eye, or have an eye which features heavy rain. (more...)

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