Hurricanes are tropical storms which form in the warm waters. Additionally, these powerful systems may also be known as cyclones and typhoons.
These massive storms begin as a cloud formation and gain energy from ocean heat before coalescing into hurricanes.
1. Hurricanes form in the tropics
Hurricanes form in the tropics when earth surface temperature warms, and water evaporates from sea bodies, producing thunderstorms. These thunderstorms may consist of several smaller showers or merge together into one large storm called a tropical cyclone.
Hurricanes begin as tropical waves, or low-pressure areas moving slowly through the tropics. When combined with thunderstorms or rain showers, this warm air mass becomes very moist – creating conditions favorable for hurricanes to form and produce strong winds.
Tropical waves can last for days and move either westward or slightly towards the poles before moving back north or south to form tropical depressions or storms.
Once a disturbance reaches sustained winds of 39 to 74 mph, it is upgraded to a tropical storm and given the name hurricane. Wind speeds in tropical regions tend to be highest; thus hurricane is applied specifically to storms which form over warm ocean waters.
In order to become a hurricane, an ocean needs to reach temperatures exceeding 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows evaporation from its surface as well as energy release through condensation processes.
As soon as a storm forms over warm water, it draws power from it to fuel itself, growing larger and stronger as its energy is harnessed to generate winds within its walls and producing rainstorms with force.
Hurricanes rely heavily on strong winds that are driven upward by hurricanes to propel themselves towards the sky above, as this is what gives them their power.
At their worst, these storms pose a severe danger to people and their properties, triggering windstorms, floods, rip tides and storm surges that can even generate tornadoes!
Hurricanes begin as tropical waves but quickly gain strength. If they reach coastal regions they can become devastating.
Hurricanes differ from other forms of weather systems by being uniquely capable of only occurring in tropical zones. Their formation cannot occur on either end of the equator because they need something known as Coriolis force to get them going; this force begins out at zero at the equator but increases as a hurricane approaches poles.
2. They are cyclones
Hurricanes, or cyclones, are large storm systems that form over warm ocean waters. Hurricanes develop when warm moist air in tropical oceans rises up and forms into an organized system of thunderstorms that are capable of devastating destruction when unleashed onto land masses. Hurricanes are powerful storms capable of leaving in their wake devastating destruction in their wake.
Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances originating around a low-pressure area that circulates clockwise or anticlockwise, or by high pressure ridges that converge and diverge in different directions.
Storm clouds can form anywhere around the equator due to warm ocean waters causing winds to move more swiftly than elsewhere.
Once a cyclone forms, its winds increase as they pass over its center–known as its eye–while pressure drops in this area, increasing hurricane’s windspeeds as pressure decreases.
As pressure decreases, more air is forced out from the top of a storm and dispersed to reduce mass over the centre. This causes winds to increase further.
This cycle continues until a storm becomes so powerful that its satellite imagery allows it to be observed, at which point the hurricane weakens and eventually dies away.
Hurricanes are powerful revolving storms with gale-force wind gusts exceeding 90 km/h that can damage trees, buildings and cause even fatalities.
Most hurricanes typically feature an outer ring measuring about 160 km (100 miles) in diameter and an inner wall spanning from 30-50 km (20-30 miles), known as an eyewall and surrounding the center of their storm, known as an eye.
Hurricanes form when winds within their eye increase in speed and intensity, hence their name. Hurricanes may also be known by other names; for instance typhoons and cyclones depending on where they form; these phenomena typically affect Asia or Pacific regions while cyclones can form anywhere across the globe.
3. They are named
Hurricanes (tropical cyclones or typhoons), also referred to as tropical cyclones or typhoons, occur across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico regions. Hurricanes are classified by winds which exceed 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour) with an established counterclockwise circulation pattern.
Once wind speeds reach a threshold, tropical storms are designated using conventions set forth by the World Meteorological Organization and given names by their World Meteorological Agency counterparts. When an upgraded tropical storm becomes a hurricane, however, its wind speeds must exceed sustained 74 mph to be given new names by that organization.
Weather forecasters use radar and satellite technology to keep an eye on these powerful storms, and select names with significance for locals in areas where the hurricane will impact. They select names that can easily be remembered while still having meaning.
Some meteorologists utilize a set of names they cycle through each year; others utilize seasonal-specific lists. Some additionally employ temporary names for storms which occur more often than their official names can cover.
Hurricanes are devastating tropical storms that form when warm ocean water gives off enough energy to generate its own movement; then this energy is released in thunderstorms that release water vapor clouds, producing hurricanes with intense winds.
As these storms can quickly travel great distances, weather forecasters should know the names of each hurricane so they can inform their audiences what to expect, according to James Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American Meteorological Society. Doing this ensures their audiences understand what they’re seeing and listening for, according to James.
United States meteorologists started naming hurricanes during World War II when meteorologists needed to keep track of multiple cyclones simultaneously. Giving each storm its own name made finding information quickly easier and prevented confusion between those that formed on different days or at various latitudes.
In 1953, the United States began using both male and female names for hurricanes in its naming practices, with women’s names used for Eastern Pacific storms while men’s names would be applied to Atlantic Basin and Gulf of Mexico storms. This decision was later confirmed by the World Meteorological Association and still continues today.
4. They can be flown over
Hurricanes are large and powerful storms that often form over vast regions, although their effects can be felt globally. While their names indicate where they originate, their impact can be felt around the globe as hurricanes produce massive rainfall and high winds which can be destructive. Hurricanes also pose travel dangers since many appear at night when visibility can be low.
Hurricanes form when warm waters, particularly near the equator, evaporate into the atmosphere and form clusters of clouds which cool as they spin and grow into what British Weather Service refers to as hurricanes or cyclones.
Hurricanes are highly complex systems, involving the interactions of many elements such as wind and gravity to form. Most importantly, however, for any hurricane to form successfully there must be enough water vapor available for it to occur.
Under ideal conditions, hurricanes may last up to two weeks before making landfall and dissipating. This timeframe is when they tend to form and reach landfall.
Commercial aircraft such as Airbus and Boeing can easily fly over hurricanes, but avoiding one is advised for safety reasons. A potential hazard to this scenario would be for the hurricane to grow too large for conventional aircraft to navigate safely – and if that occurs, its consequences can be dire – airlines are often forced to cancel flights to hurricane-affected regions before the storm even hits, so planning ahead and being prepared can help minimize this risk.