Coriolis Effect in the Bathroom

The direction of rotation in draining sinks and toilets is NOT determined by the rotation of the Earth, but by rotation that was introduced earlier when it was being filled or subsequently being disturbed (say by washing). The rotation of the Earth does influence the direction of rotation of large weather systems and large vortices in the oceans, for these are very long-lived phenomena and so allow the very weak Coriolis force to produce a significant effect, with time.

Hurricanes in the Atlantic

Planning a trip to the Atlantic? Worried about hurricane season? Here´s a weather tip:

A "typical" storm season in the Atlantic will include ten named storms, six of which will become hurricanes. Two of the hurricanes will be "major" (does that mean there are "minor" hurricanes??).

Tropical Storms

How can you tell the difference between a
tropical depression, a tropical storm, and a hurricane? The
categorization is based on wind speed. Storms with maximum
sustained winds of less than 39 miles per hour are
considered to be tropical depressions. When the wind speeds
exceed 39 mph, the storms are given a name and upgraded to
a tropical storm. At 74 mph, the storm enters the "elite"
category of hurricane. On the Saffir-Simpson scale,
hurricanes are further subdivided into 5 categories.
Category 5 storms contain sustained winds of over 155 mph!