The strengthening of a mid-latitude cyclone requires low pressure at the surface and divergence in the upper atmosphere, influenced by the Coriolis force, with visible cloud formation and rotation direction varying by hemisphere.
The strengthening of a mid-latitude cyclone requires low pressure at the surface and divergence in the upper atmosphere. Cyclones, including hurricanes and tropical storms, are driven by the process of warm, moist air rising and causing low pressure at the surface. Convergence of air at the surface leads to rising air, which cools and condenses to form clouds, intensifying the cyclone.
In the upper atmosphere, divergence, or the outward movement of air, helps to pull more air up from below, which sustains and strengthens the cyclone. This process is visually prominent from space due to the associated cloud formation and the distinct rotation influenced by the Coriolis force, which also affects the direction of storm systems' spin in different hemispheres.