Hold on tight because we are about to check out six facts on one of nature’s
most powerful forces – hurricanes!
1. Hurricanes form over the warm ocean water of the tropics. When warm
moist air over the water rises, it is replaced by cooler air. The cooler air will
then warm and start to rise, forming clouds. These storm clouds will begin
to rotate with the spin of the Earth forming an organised system. The cycle will continue and the
storm clouds and wind will form.
2. Hurricanes rotate around a centre called “a hurricane“, where it is generally calm
with no clouds. Surrounding the eye is the eye wall – the most dangerous part of the hurricane with
the strongest winds, thickest clouds and heaviest rain!
3. When hurricanes move towards land they can be incredibly and cause serious
damage. The strong winds of a hurricane can reach speeds of up to 320 kmph – strong enough to
rip up trees and destroy buildings!
4. Hurricanes are also called cyclones and . In the Atlantic Ocean and Northwest
Pacific they are hurricanes, in the Northwest Pacific they are and in the South Pacific and
Indian Ocean they are cyclones. The largest hurricane on record is Typhoon Tip, which in 1979 in the
northwest Pacific. With a diameter of around 2,220 km, it was half the size of the United States!
5. Hurricanes are given names by the World Meteorological Organisation. Each year, tropical
storms are named in order.
6. 40% of the hurricanes that occur in the United States hit Florida. Hurricane Katrina caused
$108 billion of .
