Hurricanes


Hurricanes rotate in a counterclockwise direction.
A hurricane is a powerful, rotating storm that forms over warm oceans near the Equator. Another name for a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. Hurricanes have strong, rotating winds (at least 74 miles per hour or 119 kilometers per hour), a huge amount of rain, low air pressure, thunder and lightning. The cyclonic winds of a hurricane rotate in a counterclockwise direction around a central, calm eye.
If this type of storm forms in the western Pacific Ocean, it is called a typhoon.

Hurricanes often travel from the ocean to the coast and on to land, where the wind, rain, and huge waves can cause extensive destruction.

Generally, when a hurricane moves over land (or over cold ocean waters) the storm begins to weaken and quickly dies down because the storm is fueled by warm water.

On average, there are about 100 tropical cyclones worldwide each year; 12 of these form in the Atlantic Ocean, 15 form in the eastern Pacfic Ocean and the rest are in other areas.

The weather symbol for a hurricane is: .

The marine flags that warn of a hurricane are two square red banners, each with a black square in the middle: .