Hurricanes are the most violent storms on Earth. Have you ever wondered how they form? Hurricanes form in the late summer and fall when the sun heats the ocean water to over 82 degrees fahrenheit. Most hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean start off the west coast of Africa as thunderstorms. Strong winds combine with the thunderstorms to create a tropical storm. As the storm moves over the ocean, it sucks in warm water like a vacuum which gives power to the storm. When the wind speeds reach 75 miles per hour or higher the storm becomes a hurricane.
Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere form to the south of the U.S and move in a northwest direction. This is why the east coast of the U.S is hit by hurricanes much more than the west coast. Also the water temperature in the Atlantic ocean is about 10 degrees warmer than in the Pacific ocean. Hurricanes form near the equator and the southern part of the US is just above the equator. In other parts of the world hurricanes are called typhoons and cyclones.
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A Category 1 hurricane has winds of at least 74 miles per hour. They can reach more than 157 miles per hour as a category 5. Between 80 and 100 tropical storms develop each year around the world. Most hurricanes develop out over the ocean and then eventually die out when they hit land. Only very few hurricanes actually hit land. Hurricanes weaken when they hit land because they are no longer being fueled by the warm ocean water.
There are 3 main parts of a hurricane. The eye is the very center and can be 12 to 30 miles wide. In the eye of a hurricane it is relatively calm with little wind or rain. The outside of the eye is called the eyewall. The eyewall is the area of heaviest rain and strongest winds. The very outside of the hurricane is made up of strong wind and bands of