Hurricane - a powerful tropical cyclone with strong winds and heavy rainfall that forms over warm ocean waters. **Key characteristics:** - **Formation**: Hurricanes form over warm ocean water (26°C/79°F or higher), typically in the tropical latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific. Warm, moist air rises, creating an area of low pressure. Air rushes in to fill this space and, due to the Earth's rotation (the Coriolis effect), begins to spiral. - **Structure**: - **Eye** — the calm center of the storm, 30–65 km (20–40 miles) wide, with clear skies and light winds. - **Eyewall** — the ring surrounding the eye, containing the storm's strongest winds and heaviest rain. - **Rainbands** — spiral bands of clouds and thunderstorms extending outward from the center. - **Classification (Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, used in the Atlantic/US)**: - Tropical Depression — winds up to 62 km/h (38 mph) - Tropical Storm — 63–118 km/h (39–73 mph) - Category 1 Hurricane — 119–153 km/h (74–95 mph) - Category 2 — 154–177 km/h (96–110 mph) - Category 3 (major) — 178–208 km/h (111–129 mph) - Category 4 (major) — 209–251 km/h (130–156 mph) - Category 5 (major) — 252 km/h+ (157 mph+), catastrophic damage - **Regional names**: The same phenomenon is called a **hurricane** in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, a **typhoon** in the western Pacific, and simply a **cyclone** in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific. Physically, they're identical storms — just different regional terminology. - **Hazards**: - Storm surge (a rise in sea level pushed ashore by the storm — often the deadliest element) - Extreme winds capable of destroying buildings and infrastructure - Torrential rainfall leading to flooding - Tornadoes spawned by the outer rainbands - Rip currents along coastlines - **Hurricane season**: In the Atlantic, it runs from **June 1 to November 30**, peaking in **August–October**. Storms are tracked by agencies like the **National Hurricane Center (NHC)** in the US.#fyp #anime #huracan - @doppelxgunger