cyclone typhoon hurricane all of these
names are used around the world to
describe the most powerful storm known
to man hurricanes are unpredictable but
scientists have a thorough understanding
of how hurricanes form and sustain their
power in the Atlantic Ocean
hurricane season peaks during the late
summer months when tropical waters are
the warmest hurricanes formed from a
cluster of thunderstorms that suck up
the warm moist air and move it high into
Earth's atmosphere the warm air is then
converted into energy that powers the
Hurricanes circular winds these winds
spin around a low-pressure center called
the eye which can provide a twenty to
thirty mile radius of eerie calm
encircling it is the eye wall a towering
ring of clouds with some of the fastest
wind speeds of the hurricane surrounding
the eye wall are curved bands of clouds
the rain bands often tens of miles wide
releasing sheets of rain and sometimes
tornadoes when the tropical storms winds
reach at least 74 miles per hour it
becomes a hurricane the hurricane then
receives the category ranking of one to
five on the saffir-simpson scale based
on its wind speed and potential damage
but wind speed isn't always the most
dangerous component when hurricanes come
near land its storm surge storm surge is
caused when winds from an approaching
hurricane push water towards the
shoreline up to 20 feet above sea level
and can extend 100 miles
90% of all hurricane deaths are the
result of storm surge
while hurricanes can cause mass
devastation
just like other natural disasters they
serve a higher purpose within the global
ecosystem hurricanes help regulate our
climate by moving heat energy from the
equator to the poles keeping the earth's
temperature stable over time science has
helped us to better understand
hurricanes and predict their paths
saving lives through early warning
systems and helping us build better
infrastructure to protect our cities the
more we study these complex storms the
better we can prepare for them and
minimize their impact on human lives
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