Facts About Hurricanes

Hurricanes, known as tropical cyclones, are giant tropical storms. 

The word “hurricane” comes from the native Taino word “Huracan”, which is the name of the god of wind, storm and fire who was worshipped by the Mayans. Their word “hurucane” was defined as “evil spirit of the winds”. 

A hurricane forms when warm, moist air above the ocean surface rises, causing air around it to be “sucked” in. The air becomes warm and moist and then rises, beginning a cycle that forms clouds. These clouds rotate with the spinning of the Earth. If there is enough warm water to continue feeding the storm, a hurricane forms. 

On average 10 tropical storms develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Carribean Sea and Gulf of Mexico each year. 

About 6 of these tropical storms become hurricanes every year. 

Hurricanes have powerful winds and heavy rains. 

In an average 3-year period, 5 hurricanes will hit the U.S. coastline. Of these, 3 will be major hurricanes, with winds greater than 110 miles per hour. 

In that same 3-year period hurricanes will kill approximately 50 to 100 people. 

A tropical storm is considered a hurricane when its wind speeds get to, or exceed, 74 miles per hour. 

Hurricanes form in tropical parts of the world, like the world’s equator, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. 

Coastal areas are at a higher risk of being affected by a hurricane. 

Hurricane season is considered at its peak in mid-September. 

Hurricanes can and have occurred outside of hurricanes season. 

There are three main parts to a hurricane, the eye, the eye wall and the rain bands. 

The eye is the center of the hurricane. The hurricane rotates around the eye. 

The eye can be anywhere from 2 miles to over 200 miles in diameter, they are usually 30 miles. 

The eye wall surrounds the eye, and it is considered the most dangerous part of the hurricane. It has intense winds, thick clouds and heavy rains. 

Rainbands are the outer part of the hurricane that cause it to spin. The rain is so heavy it can cause floods. 

Most hurricanes occur at sea in warm ocean waters and are harmless. When they happen on land, they are very dangerous, causing serious damage. 

When hurricanes hit land, they weaken and slow down because they cannot absorb moisture from the sea to continue fueling itself. 

The winds of a hurricane can be so violent that they reach up to 200 miles per hour.