Coriolis "accelerations" ...

... pausing dramatically to lay a sheaf of quantum-mechanical probabilities on the classical tombstones of centrifugal and centripital forces ...

... cause the typical rotation of hurricanes and tornados (tornadoes? *L* ) in the each hemispere, but by slightly different mechanisms:

As pointed out above, when air flows towards the equator, the surface of the earth is moving more rapidly towards the east, which shifts the apparent direction of movement towards the west. The opposite is true for winds blowing away from the equator. When dealing with large areas of low pressure (since air generally moves towards areas of low pressure, and leaving discussion of how the low pressure got there in the first place for some other time), the air coming from closer to the equator spirals around the eastern side, and the air coming form farther from the equator spirals around the western side. This causes the rest of the air to follow suit and produces the classic spiral of a hurricane, but is also true for winds in general, though usually on a much less dramatic scale.

The direction of tornado winds is usually triggered by a similar overall pattern around pressures, but with the addition of significant vertical air flow. The cold air dropping through the center of a storm and warm air rising along its front change their distance from earth's aixs and equator, combining coriolis and turbulence effects to make a three-dimensional eddy. The same direction of spiral is initiated, but on a much smaller scale and with much stronger winds.

~S~