Northernmost and southernmost hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere?

Question

I was just browsing information on Hurricane Isabel, which I had the thrill of confronting in 2003 (seriously--check out http://www.jesusfreak.com/isabel.asp ) and got to wondering, what has been the farthest north and farthest south hurricanes have gone in the Northern Hemisphere? I'm no meteorology expert, but isn't it theoretically impossible for a hurricane to cross the equator?

Answer 1

It is impossible for a hurricane to cross the equator. The hurricanes closest to the equator most frequently in the Northern Hemisphere would be typhoons in the South China Sea and tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. Some Atlantic hurricanes form near the equator and then head northwest into the Caribbean.

Hurricanes cannot form with 5° of the equator and most form more than 10° from the equator. Closer than that and the Coriolis effect is not strong enough to get them revolving.

Answer 2

Hurricanes, Typhoons and Tropical Cyclones need Coriolis force to form. Coriolis force is the force that works at right angles to the movement of any free moving thing in the atmosphere. It is at its most effective at the Poles, and 0 at the equator. For the air in a Hurricane to start turning, the air has to be pulled off coarse by the Coriolis force.

To close to the equator, and the air won't start moving in a circle. To far away, and the water and air is to cold to create the energy to lift the moist air upward. These systems can not cross the equator, and usually form between 10 and 20 degrees from the equator.