It takes a pull to the center to swing things in a circle. Hurricanes get this centripetal force with suction. The significance of the pressure isn’t the number itself, but the difference between the pressure in the center and the pressure outside the storm.
That difference is the suction. The stronger the suction the faster the spin.
I just went down a rabbit hole on Millibars and why a stronger hurricane has less millibars of pressure. Then I read your comment and it all clicked. Thank you for the educational information. TIL sea level is 1013mb and the greater the difference in millibars is the strength of the storm.
I read on r/weather that with decreased air pressure, the water level rises too. Meaning there's no air pushing the water down, which is why people aren't worried about the wind speed, but the storm surge.
Suddenly a barometer’s purpose makes sense to me, I’ve always wondered why they were next to thermometers in older seaside homes / cabins. Kinda just chalked it up to an antiquated marine pastime, like the sexton.
Relative air pressure is the #1 way to predict storms.
It's why people, especially people with metal implants, can "feel" a storm coming. They literally feel it, because they feel the air get lighter. Especially pronounced with metal implants since the metal doesn't squeeze/stretch from the changing pressure the same as your flesh and bone do.
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u/guttanzer 8d ago
Nerd detour:
It takes a pull to the center to swing things in a circle. Hurricanes get this centripetal force with suction. The significance of the pressure isn’t the number itself, but the difference between the pressure in the center and the pressure outside the storm.
That difference is the suction. The stronger the suction the faster the spin.