Hurricanes

Huricanes are an amazing phenominon that we explore in-depth, looking at the definition, stages and statistics of huricanes. Come check it out, you'll be blown away!


Hurricane Circulation and Movement

A hurricane's speed and path depend on complex interactions between the storm with its own internal circulations and the earth's atmosphere. The air in which the hurricane is embedded is a constantly moving and changing "river" of air. Other features in that flow, such as high and low pressure systems, can greatly alter the speed and the path of the hurricane. In turn, it can modify the environment around the storm.

Typically, a hurricane's forward speed averages around 15-20 mph. However, some hurricanes stall, often causing devastatingly heavy rain. Others can accelerate to more than 60 mph. Hurricane Hazel (1954) hit North Carolina on the morning of 15 October; fourteen hours later it reached Toronto, Canada where it caused 80 deaths. Some hurricanes follow a fairly straight course, while others loop and wobble along the path. Learn more »

 



Hurricanes are formed from simple complexes of thunderstorms. However, these thunderstorms can only grow to hurricane strength with cooperation from both the ocean ...

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Hurricanes evolve through a life cycle of stages from birth to death. A tropical disturbance in time can grow to a more intense stage by attaining a specified sustained wind speed.

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Contrary to how many weather maps appear, a hurricane is more than a point on a weather map, and its path is more than a line. It is a large system that can affect a wide area ...

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Hurricanes are Earth's strongest tropical cyclones. A distinctive feature seen on many hurricanes and are unique to them is the dark spot found in the middle of the hurricane.

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In the early part of this century, coastal residents may have had less than a day to prepare or evacuate their homes from an oncoming hurricane. Today, these same locations receive warnings to evacuate from one to two days in advance, let alone the extra days they are also aware of its existence. Before satellites and radars, people had very little knowledge of the weather just 100 kilometers offshore. Obviously it is a vastly different world today. Thanks to satellites, we know about the existence of a tropical cyclone immediately. Meteorologists at the Tropical Prediction Center work to constantly monitor these systems as they move, issuing hurricane watches and warnings.