Editing Storm track (section)

{{For|the magazine|Storm Track}}
[[Image:Global tropical cyclone tracks-edit2.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Global [[tropical cyclone]] tracks between 1985 and 2005, indicating the areas where tropical cyclones usually develop]]
'''Storm tracks ''' are the relatively narrow zones in seas and oceans where [[storm]]s travel driven by the [[prevailing winds]]. 

The [[Atlantic]] and [[Pacific]] have storm tracks along which most Atlantic or Pacific [[extratropical cyclone]]s or [[tropical cyclone]]s travel. The storm tracks usually begin in the westernmost parts of Atlantic and Pacific, where the large temperature contrasts between land and sea cause [[cyclone]]s to form, particularly in winter. Surface [[friction]] cause these cyclones to quickly fill up and decay as soon as they reach land at the eastern end of the basins, accounting for the easternmost edges of the storm tracks.

Storm tracks can shift position, causing important climatic patterns. As an example, during [[La Niña]] the Atlantic storm track shifts north causing droughts in Palestine, while during [[El Niño]] it shifts south bringing heavy rains to the same region.<ref>Douglas Inman and Scott Jenkins. "Climate Patterns in the Coastal Zone." ''Encyclopedia of Coastal Science.'' Springer Science & Business Media, Nov 8, 2006. pg. 246</ref>

Another example of a storm track is the circumpolar storm track in the [[Antarctic]], however land-sea contrasts play no role in its formation.

Given a grid point field of [[geopotential height]], storm tracks can be visualized by contouring its average [[standard deviation]], after the data has been [[band-pass]] filtered.