Hurricanes are a tropical cyclone, characterized by spiraling, rain-bearing winds of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour. Their considerable size often extends 300 to 500 miles from the “eye” and hurricane-force winds can extend outward from the storm’s center for 75 miles, making hurricanes the most destructive of all storms. A hurricane can last for days, even weeks, as it travels across the ocean and onto land. Hurricanes can produce violent winds, torrential rains and floods. The winds may produce disastrous sea surges and huge waves, which add to the damage.
Hurricanes need two “fuels” to start them and keep them going: moist air and heat, both of which are plentiful over tropical seas in late summer. The terms hurricane and typhoon are regionally specific names for a strong tropical cyclone. Atlantic and eastern Pacific storms are called hurricanes (from the West Indian huracan “big wind”) while those in the northwestern Pacific are called typhoons, and storms in the southern Pacific and Indian Ocean are called cyclones. The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30; over a three-year period, approximately five hurricanes strike the United States coastline from Texas to Maine.
The National Hurricane Center has the latest hurricane advisories.
Web Sites
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Hurricane Center
- Wikipedia
- FEMA for Kids
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for hurricanes.
Databases
Enter hurricanes in these databases: