Facts About Hurricanes
- A hurricane is an intense tropical storm with powerful winds and heavy rain.
- Other names for a hurricane include cyclone, typhoon and tropical storm.While they are essentially the same thing, the different names usually indicate where the storm took place. Tropical storms that form in the Atlantic or Northeast Pacific (near the United States) are called hurricanes, those that form near in the Northwest Pacific (near Japan) are called typhoons and those that form in the South Pacific or Indian oceans are called cyclones.
- Hurricanes usually form in tropical areas of the world.
- A tropical storm with sustained winds reach 74 miles per hour
- Hurricanes develop over warm water and use it as an energy source.
- Hurricanes lose strength as they move over land.
- Coastal regions are most at danger from hurricanes.
- As well as violent winds and heavy rain, hurricanes can also create tornadoes, high waves and widespread flooding.
- The wind flow of hurricanes in the southern hemisphere is clockwise while the wind flow of hurricanes in the northern hemisphere is counterclockwise.
- Weather in the eye of a hurricane is usually calm.
- The winds around the eye of a hurricane are usually the strongest.
- Hurricanes have led to the death of around 2 million people over the last 200 years.
- Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30, but these powerful storms can occur before and after the official season