Which way to Tornadoes & Hurricanes rotate at the Equator?

Question

I know that due to the Coriolis effect, tornadoes and Hurricanes spin from left to right, or Counter-Clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and from right to left, or Clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere; this is also why water spins when going down drains. Now just out of curiosity, which way do Tornadoes & Hurricanes, and water going down drains, rotate at the Equator?

Answer 1

they will maintain the rotation of the directon they approached from unless they go farther than 10 degrees either side of the eqautor then they will assume that direcdtion

Answer 2

Hurricanes do not cross or generate on the equator  so I guess well never Know :0)

Answer 3

It's actually a heavily biased crapshoot. The vast majority of twisters in NA is CC. But some twisters in NA have been caught on video going C. Ditto, in reverse, in the southern hemisphere. Hurricanes, I sincerely believe, have the same story.

Answer 4

they rotate clockwise north

Answer 5

The Coriolis effect, which is an apparent force, is zero at the equator and increases as you travel north or south away from the equator. This is why a tropical cyclone (the generic name for hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, and others) can not form on the equator. It has never been known for one to develop within 5 degrees of the equator and generally it is closer to 10 degrees north or south (or more) that you will see them form.

As for tornadoes. It is more dependent on the local environment which way they turn. However, due to the normal wind patterns in the northern hemisphere most tornadoes will be cyclonic or counterclockwise as viewed from above in the northern hemisphere. I have observered and photographed tornadoes turning in opposite directions in the same photograph at the same time. (Boone County, Iowa, tornadoes of June 13,  1976.)

In the case of a drain, the Coriolis force does not have any effect. The Coriolis equation is time dependent (as derived from the equations of motion in physics) and the short time it takes for water to go down the drain will have no impact on which way the water going down the drain will spin. In fact, a very knowledgeable plumber can make the spin go either way. If you study the Coriolis equation, you will see that the effect is very small until you apply time since it is a function of the rate of change in angular direction that is necessary for the effect to take place. This is why it often takes one to several days for the rotating motion in the tropics to start as a tropical cyclone develops.

So to answer your question exactly, a hurricane can not form on the equator. There has never been a tropical system that cross the equator either. But most meteorologists who have studied this question have concluded that if a tropical system did cross the equator, the system would most likely maintain the direction of spin that it acquired when it formed. That would be counterclockwise if it formed north of the equator or clockwise if it formed south of the equator.

As far as tornadoes. They could go in either direction. (Not many tornadoes have been observed near the equator.)

In the case of plumbing, it is dependent on the spin of the water in the tub, sink or bowl, or the design of the drain itself and not on the Coriolis effect.