DescriptionA hurricane occurs when a tropical storm exceeds 74 mph (119 kph). It has other names in different parts of the world. In the Northwest Pacific ocean west of the dateline, it is called a typhoon. In the southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian ocean east of 90E it is called a severe tropical cyclone. It is also called a severe cyclonic storm, or a tropical cyclone in other parts of ...view middle of the document...
It travels north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involves heavy rains. A hurricane has and "eye" in the middle, and may appear as a huge swirling cloud when seen from outer space. Inside the eye of a hurricane there is calm weather. The eye of a hurricane can be as large as 50 miles long.Developmental StagesThere are three developmental stages for a hurricane. The first is a tropical depression. In this stage, there are swirling clouds and wind speeds of less than 38 mph. The second stage is a tropical storm. In this stage, the wind speed goes up to about 39 to 73 mph and can cause some damage and flooding. The final stage is the actual hurricane, which causes the most damage. This stage contains wind speeds greater than 74 mph and humid ocean air, which results in more precipitation.Atmospheric RequirementsIn order for a hurricane to form it needs lots of latent heat that is liberated when huge quantities of water vapor condense. Hurricanes can only form over warm water and they must have a lot of a large quantity of moister-laden air to start and to keep going.
