extratropical cyclone

American  

[ek-struh-trop-i-kuhl sahy-klohn] / ˈɛk strəˈtrɒp ɪ kəl ˈsaɪ kloʊn /

noun

Meteorology.

1. 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.

---

extratropical cyclone Scientific  

/ ĕk′strə-trŏp′ĭ-kəl /

1. See under cyclone

---

Etymology

Origin of extratropical cyclone

First recorded in 1920–25; extra- + tropical

Example Sentences

Melissa is not expected to make landfall in North America, but will still be a formidable extratropical cyclone when it nears St Johns, Newfoundland, in Canada on Friday night.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025

According to the Rio Grande do Sul government, heavy rains caused by the extratropical cyclone have affected 80 cities and left more than 2,300 people homeless and over 3,900 displaced.

From Reuters • Sep. 7, 2023

Rio Grande do Sul was hit by another extratropical cyclone in June, which killed 16 people and caused destruction in 40 cities, many of those around state capital of Porto Alegre.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 5, 2023

Experts said the storm was an extratropical cyclone, a type of weather system that most often occurs in middle and high latitudes rather than in the tropics.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 17, 2023

The hybrid storm will take on the structure of an extratropical cyclone, complete with a warm front and cold front.

From Washington Post • Aug. 30, 2021