Clouds from Space : Anticyclonic Clouds

Anticyclonic Clouds

This pinwheel of anticyclonic clouds was photographed by the STS 41-B crew over the southern hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. The ground winds at the center of this cyclonic system reach 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles an hour). Circular storms in the northern hemisphere produce spiraling clouds with a clockwise pattern, while southern latitude storms have a counterclockwise cloud motion. (Courtesy LPI/NASA. Picture #11-45-2834)