<p>The lowest atmospheric pressure in a tropical cyclone is generally located in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_(cyclone)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">eye</a> at the center of the cyclone; however, the air in the eye is <em>descending</em>, while the air in the surrounding portions of the cyclone is strongly <em>ascending</em>:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/JDavq.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/JDavq.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>(Image by Kelvinsong at <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hurricane-en.svg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikimedia Commons</a>.)</p>

<p>How, then, is the pressure in the eye, where the air is sinking, <em>lower</em> than that in the eyewall, where the air is rising?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-15T23:32:24.407Z
What's the rationale that leads you to think that there is some sort of incompatibility between low pressure sinking air?
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-15T23:34:24.843Z
@CamiloRada: Because, in meteorology, low atmospheric pressure is essentially _always_ caused by air rising, and high pressure by air sinking.
Vikki
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-16T00:45:50.393Z
My background is in physics, not meteorology. But I think you might have a misleading association of causality. Rising air is associated with low pressure in density driven flows. As one of the biggest controls of density is temperature, warmer air is less dense, therefore it rises creating a column of air less dense than the surroundings. As a consequence the pressure under that column is lower.
For a cyclone the picture seem to be much more complex, so I'll wait until one of the meteorologist around give an answer.
Anyway, in the picture looks like the eye have both rising and sinking air.
Camilo Rada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-16T02:00:16.223Z
@gansub: That question is about why the air in the eye sinks in the first place; my question is about why the barometric pressure in the eye is the lowest in the cyclone despite that sinking air.
Vikki
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-18T19:09:02.677Z
not despite, because of, the air is sinking because it is flowing toward lower pressure. Low pressure would obvious pull down cool air easier than warm air. the sinking is not creating low pressure it is caused by it.
John
<meteorology><tropical-cyclone>
Why is the atmospheric pressure in a tropical cyclone lowest in the eye, even though it contains sinking air?
Vikki
# Why is the atmospheric pressure in a tropical cyclone lowest in the eye, even though it contains sinking air?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-08-15)

The lowest atmospheric pressure in a tropical cyclone is generally located in the [eye](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_(cyclone)) at the center of the cyclone; however, the air in the eye is *descending*, while the air in the surrounding portions of the cyclone is strongly *ascending*:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/JDavq.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/JDavq.png)

(Image by Kelvinsong at [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hurricane-en.svg).)

How, then, is the pressure in the eye, where the air is sinking, *lower* than that in the eyewall, where the air is rising?

**Tags:** meteorology, tropical-cyclone

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What's the rationale that leads you to think that there is some sort of incompatibility between low pressure sinking air?  
> **username_0**: @username_1: Because, in meteorology, low atmospheric pressure is essentially _always_ caused by air rising, and high pressure by air sinking.  
> **username_1**: My background is in physics, not meteorology. But I think you might have a misleading association of causality. Rising air is associated with low pressure in density driven flows. As one of the biggest controls of density is temperature, warmer air is less dense, therefore it rises creating a column of air less dense than the surroundings. As a consequence the pressure under that column is lower. For a cyclone the picture seem to be much more complex, so I'll wait until one of the meteorologist around give an answer. Anyway, in the picture looks like the eye have both rising and sinking air.  
> **username_0**: @gansub: That question is about why the air in the eye sinks in the first place; my question is about why the barometric pressure in the eye is the lowest in the cyclone despite that sinking air.  
> **username_2**: not despite, because of, the air is sinking because it is flowing toward lower pressure. Low pressure would obvious pull down cool air easier than warm air. the sinking is not creating low pressure it is caused by it.  

---

## 0 answers

