Geography · KS3 Y9 · Weather & Climate

Tropical storms

Tropical stormsFree2:23Heddy Score 3 of 7, below the standard

What you need to know

  • Tropical storms form over warm tropical oceans of at least about 27 °C.
  • Evaporation from the warm sea gives warm, moist air that rises, cools and condenses into towering cumulonimbus clouds.
  • As air keeps rising the winds begin to spiral around a centre, and the storm becomes a hurricane once winds reach 119 km/h (74 mph).
  • Over land the storm loses its supply of warm, moist air and weakens, but it can still do great damage on the coast.
  • Weather satellites track storms so forecasters can warn people early.

In this clip

0:04–2:06Where and how tropical storms form
Also coversTropical storms
Heddy Score3/7, Below the standard
See the seven stars
  • Trusted source · passed. The creator's own upload, live and playable here.
  • On the map · not judged yet. A teacher watched it: it mainly teaches this map topic.
  • Spec-true · not judged yet. Accurate, and right for the current UK specification.
  • Focused · passed. One idea, short enough to watch in one go.
  • Accessible · passed. Good captions, clear sound and pictures.
  • Safe for children · not judged yet. Right for 11 to 16 year olds, with no sales pitch.
  • Proven · not judged yet. Earned from our students: they learn from it, find it helpful and watch it to the end.
★ passed · ☆ pending · ✕ failed
Our students

Not enough students yet

Our own students' answers. These are what move ★7 Proven.
On YouTube

1.54M views · 7.34K likes · NOAA SciJinks 23.6K subscribers

As reported by YouTube on 2026-11-02. Not part of the Heddy Score.
How the Heddy Score works

Why we picked it

A short, clear animation of the sequence that builds a tropical storm, ideal as a first look before adding more detail.

NOAA SciJinks on YouTubechecked 2026-10-22

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