Hurricanes

Hurricanes are one of nature’s most powerful storms. They produce strong winds, storm surge flooding, and heavy rainfall that can lead to inland flooding, tornadoes, and rip currents.

Hurricane Humberto, as captured by a NOAA satellite September 15, 2019.(NOAA Satellites)

What is a hurricane?

Hurricanes, known generically as tropical cyclones, are low-pressure systems with organized thunderstorm activity that form over tropical or subtropical waters. They gain their energy from warm ocean waters.

Satellite images of the disturbance that became Hurricane Maria in September 2017. In the image on the left, there is no clear thunderstorm banding. On the right, the disturbance has escalated to a tropical storm and it has become "organized" with bands wrapping around the center. (NOAA Satellites/NOAA Education)

As storm systems strengthen into hurricanes, the surface winds move continuously in a circular motion. Meteorologists refer to this pattern as “closed circulation." The direction of circulation is different depending on where the storm is located: it is counter-clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.