extratropical cyclone

[ ek-struh-trop-i-kuhl sahy-klohn ]

nounMeteorology.

a cold-core storm system occurring over land or water and energized by the interaction of cold and warm air masses: the common frontal cyclones that produce much of the precipitation of the middle latitudes are examples of extratropical cyclones, as are blizzards and nor’easters.

Origin of extratropical cyclone

¹

First recorded in 1920–25; extra- + tropical

Also called mid-latitude cyclone [mid-lat-i-tood sahy-klohn], /ˈmɪdˈlæt ɪ tud ˈsaɪ kloʊn/, mid-latitude storm [mid-lat-i-tood stawrm]. /ˈmɪdˈlæt ɪ tud ˈstɔrm/.

Compare subtropical cyclone, tropical cyclone.

Words Nearby extratropical cyclone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Scientific definitions for extratropical cyclone

extratropical cyclone

[ ĕk′strə-trŏp′ĭ-kəl ]

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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