Consider the following statements:
1. Jet streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.
2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.
3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10°C lesser than that of the surroundings.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is incorrect: Jet streams are circum-polar westerly high-altitude wind currents that occur in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres (e.g., Subtropical Westerly Jet and Polar Front Jet in both hemispheres).
Statement 2 is correct: A distinct calm central core or ’eye’ develops almost exclusively in mature tropical cyclones. Mid-latitude extratropical (frontal) cyclones and weak tropical depressions do not develop an eye.
Statement 3 is incorrect: The eye of a mature tropical cyclone is a region of subsidence and adiabatic compression, making it a warm core anomaly. The temperature inside the eye is actually significantly warmer (several degrees higher) than the surrounding cloud-wall environment, not lesser.
Therefore, only statement 2 is correct — Option C.