Meteorology · Tropical Cyclones — Eye and Eyewall
Within a mature tropical cyclone, the most violent winds and heaviest rain are found in the:
- AOutermost rainbands only
- BEye itself, which has the strongest winds
- CEyewall — the ring of deep convection immediately surrounding the calm eye✓ Correct
- DRegion 500 miles ahead of the center
Explanation
The eye is relatively calm with light winds and often broken cloud. Surrounding it, the eyewall contains the strongest winds and most torrential rain. A vessel that experiences a lull in the eye must expect the wind to return suddenly from the opposite direction as the far eyewall arrives.
Authority: NOAA/NHC; Bowditch (Pub. No. 9), tropical cyclone structure
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