How do hurricanes form?
Have you ever heard of a hurricane hitting Alaska? How about a hurricane trolling up the east coast in February? OF COURSE YOU HAVEN'T. That's because these monstrous, potentially devastating storms require specific conditions in order to form.
First and foremost, hurricanes need warm, moist air which serves as the fuel to keep it going. Second, there needs to be a disturbance in the atmosphere, called a "tropical depression", which is a clearly defined low pressure area. Strong, converging winds are the third, final, and most ferocious ingredient required to generate these massive storms. Knowing these conditions, it's easy to see why hurricanes only form in tropical regions of the world, where the water is warm and equatorial winds constantly collide to create disturbances in the atmosphere.
Now that you know the basic environmental and atmospheric conditions for hurricanes to develop, let's look a little more in depth at how hurricanes form.
First and foremost, hurricanes need warm, moist air which serves as the fuel to keep it going. Second, there needs to be a disturbance in the atmosphere, called a "tropical depression", which is a clearly defined low pressure area. Strong, converging winds are the third, final, and most ferocious ingredient required to generate these massive storms. Knowing these conditions, it's easy to see why hurricanes only form in tropical regions of the world, where the water is warm and equatorial winds constantly collide to create disturbances in the atmosphere.
Now that you know the basic environmental and atmospheric conditions for hurricanes to develop, let's look a little more in depth at how hurricanes form.
TROPICAL DISTURBANCES
"Disturbances" in the atmosphere are the low atmospheric pressure areas necessary for hurricanes to start. Clusters of clouds and thunderstorms are typical disturbances that are are sparked by and perpetuate low pressure systems. Let's consider exactly how areas of low pressure form:
LATENT HEAT As the water vapor condenses, it releases latent heat--- a form of energy that is tremendously important in stirring up winds, creating immense clouds, and ultimately fueling the hurricane.
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Coriolis Force
Because winds are subject to the Coriolis Force which naturally occurs due to the Earth's rotation, they begin to spin the "disturbance". All of the air that is constantly rising and being replaced in a cycle is also being spun by the
Coriolis Force. In the Northern Hemisphere, these winds will always rotate the disturbance counter-clockwise.
Not only does the Coriolis Force spin the air that feeds into the storm, it causes the top of the storm to spin and propel air and condensation outwards.
Because winds are subject to the Coriolis Force which naturally occurs due to the Earth's rotation, they begin to spin the "disturbance". All of the air that is constantly rising and being replaced in a cycle is also being spun by the
Coriolis Force. In the Northern Hemisphere, these winds will always rotate the disturbance counter-clockwise.
Not only does the Coriolis Force spin the air that feeds into the storm, it causes the top of the storm to spin and propel air and condensation outwards.
Hurricane Anatomy
Now that we know a little bit about how hurricanes form, let's look at the anatomy of a hurricane!
The center of the hurricane where the pressure is lowest is called the "eye" of the storm, which is typically 20-40 miles wide. Curiously, the weather in the eye is very calm and clear, even while the storm surrounding it rages on. Immediately surrounding the eye is the "eye wall", a dense packing of clouds where the winds are fastest and where the most damage is done. "Rain Bands" are bands of thunderstorms that circulate outwards from the eye.
Hurricanes can vary in size, but typically they are about 300 miles in size. Hurricane winds can vary from 74 miles per hour for a smaller tropical storm, and up to 150 miles per hour for a large storm.
Hurricanes can vary in size, but typically they are about 300 miles in size. Hurricane winds can vary from 74 miles per hour for a smaller tropical storm, and up to 150 miles per hour for a large storm.
Categorizing Hurricanes
Naming Hurricanes
Hurricanes are named so that they are more accessible to the public, simple to remember, and easier to differentiate. A list of names has been established by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. Hurricane names rotate through this list, though there are a few names that have been retired because of the severe damage and devastation they're created. Names rotate on a six-year basis