How is hurricanes form

Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure pushes in to the low pressure area. Then that "new" air becomes warm and moist and rises, too. As the warm air continues to rise, the surrounding air swirls in to take its place. As the warmed, moist air rises and cools off, the water in the air forms clouds. The whole system of clouds and wind spins and grows, fed by the ocean's heat and water evaporating from the surface.

Storms that form north of the equator spin counterclockwise. Storms south of the equator spin clockwise. This difference is because of Earth's rotation on its axis. As the storm system rotates faster and faster, an eye forms in the center. It is very calm and clear in the eye, with very low air pressure. The thunderstorms will rotate counterclockwise in the north hemisphere around the center which is called the eye. The eye is an area of descending air which produces light winds and dry conditions.

The strongest winds will be located just outside the eye in the eye wall. Let's talk about tropical classifications. A tropical Depression is an area of low pressure with a closed center of circulation and sustained winds less than 39mph.

A Tropical Storm is when that area of low pressure continues to deepen and has winds between mph. This is when a storm gets a name! Hurricane Names come from the World Meteorological Organization and are on a 6 year rotating list which alternates between male and female names.

A hurricane is a strong area of low pressure with rotating thunderstorms close to its center of circulation. Winds are at least 74mph. There are many dangers associated with hurricanes including storm surge flooding, strong winds and tornadoes.

Hurricanes will generally be steered by the upper level wind currents. That is normally the Atlantic High pressure ridge for us. This will move storms from east to west in lower latitudes and west to east in higher latitudes.

A weaker high pressure will keep storms further east. A stronger high pressure will push storms further south and west. If the wind keeps getting faster, it becomes a tropical storm and then a hurricane if winds are more than 74 miles per hour mph. The classifications are based on the wind speeds in the storm, not the size of the storm. Hurricanes that look small on radar can have very high wind speeds.

And large storms can have low wind speeds. Wind speeds in hurricanes are often measured in knots. Compared to a mile per hour, knots are a little bit faster. Thirty miles per hour are about the same as 26 knots.

Skip to main content. Climate change may be driving more frequent, more intense extreme weather, and that includes hurricanes. The hurricane season was one of the most active on record, with 22 major hurricanes in the Northern Hemisphere in under three months, and also saw seriously devastating Atlantic storms.

While a number of factors determine a hurricane's strength and impact, warmer temperatures in certain locations play an important role. In the Atlantic, warming in the Arctic could drive future hurricane tracks farther west , making a U. Hurricane Harvey , which dropped a record-breaking A warmer atmosphere can also furnish more water vapor for making rain, as evaporation increases and warm air holds more vapor than cold.

Warming temperatures can also slow tropical cyclones , which can be a problem if their progression over land is extended, potentially increasing storm surges, rainfall, and exposure to high winds. Potential trends make it more important than ever to be prepared for coming storms and to address the root causes of climate change , scientists say.

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