What is a Hurricane?

A hurricane is defined as “an intense, rotating oceanic weather system of strong thunderstorms that possesses maximum sustained winds exceeding 74 miles per hour.” Most of the hurricanes that we witness are in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Atlantic. Hurricanes are very dangerous storms and can cause severe damage to areas of impact. Cities that have been hit by hurricanes can take years to recover, and some may never be the same. When the hurricane center sees something in the ocean that looks as though it has potential to become a hurricane, they begin to broadcast the information on the news.
Hurricane season for the Atlantic begins June 1st and goes to November 30th. During this time there is potential for a hurricane, but most seem to occur during the fall season. Some hurricanes can be up to 600 miles wide and have winds around 200 miles per hour. Hurricanes can last a little over a week and tend to travel only about 10-20 miles per hour across the ocean. They are formed over warm water temperatures, around 80 degrees, and increase heat and energy as they move across the ocean. A storm becomes stronger as the evaporation for the warm saltwater rises and helps the storm to build or maintain its speed. Near the “eye”, center, of the hurricane winds move in a clockwise motion, and as the storm gets closer to the eye the weather is much calmer.
There are many classifications of hurricanes as they are in their stages of becoming a deadly storm. First, a Tropical Cyclone is formed. This is classified as a “generic term for a low pressure system that generally forms in the tropics accompanied by thunderstorms” (weatherchannel.com). Tropical Cyclones are the lowest level of the formation of a hurricane, but should still be taken seriously when preparing for safety. The second classification is a Tropical Depression, “an organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 38 miles per hour” (weatherchannel.com). This storm is much more serious and can be create damage to the cities that it hits. We usually hear of these in the Caribbean as the storms are gaining energy and power as they are making their way up to the Gulf of Mexico. Thirdly, a Tropical Storm is classified as “an organized system of thunderstorms with a well defined surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 39-73 miles per hour” (weatherchannel.com). After the storm has been collecting more energy over a few days it can maintain these strong winds for a few more days in order to next be classified as a hurricane. A hurricane is of course the strongest and can range from Category 1, which is the lowest level, to a Category 5, with the strongest winds and severe damage.
About 30 years ago the hurricane center adopted a way of naming the hurricanes in order to be more clear when talking to viewers and just to help classify which storm they were talking about when more than one would occur. The naming system is a six-year rotating list of names that alternate between male and female and are alphabetical for each of the six-years. As a hurricane is formed a name is given to it and if another hurricane occurs as the same time they use the next name on the list, and it helps to cut down on the confusion when talking about more than one storm. Meteorologists are very serious when it comes to notifying people about bad weather in their area. They watch to see if it looks as though a hurricane could begin to form and then make announcements filling viewers and listeners in on the details of the storms. A hurricane watch is carried out when there are indications that the possibility of experiencing hurricane conditions within 36 hours exists. If sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour are expected within 24 hours or less, a hurricane warning is issued. Precautions should be taken when anything related to a severe storm has been issued. For people that live in areas of potential hurricanes, families should have evacuation plans, or plan of action so that there is not chance that something could happen to them.
Hurricanes can be very deadly and if not taken seriously tons and tons of people can be killed. The devistaion to homes and buildings is enough, we don't need for there to be a significant loss of individuals, because we can evacuate, and there is no sense in staying for the storm if people are capable of leaving. It is best for people to begin boarding houses and traveling to safety when they first hear that a hurricane is approaching their area. Even if the hurricane by some miracle changes direction and misses your city at the last second, at least you and your family were safe. Being safe and taking care of yourself and family is probably the smartest thing you can do in times of a hurricane.