What is a hurricane?

A hurricane is a storm system rotating around an area of low pressure, which produces
strong winds and heavy rain. Technically the system is called a tropical storm if wind
speeds are between 34 and 63 knots, and it is only classified as a hurricane if the wind
speed exceeds 63 knots. A hurricane is on average 500 miles wide and 10 miles high
and moves forward like an enormous spinning top at a typical speed of 17 knots.

How do hurricanes form?

The following five factors are generally required for a hurricane to develop:

 Sea surface temperatures of at least 26.5°C are needed down to a depth of at

least 50m causing the overlying atmosphere to be unstable enough to sustain
convection and thunderstorms

 Rapid cooling with height allows the release of the heat of condensation that
powers the hurricane

 High humidity, especially in the lower-to-mid troposphere, provides the moisture

that feeds the storm

 Low amounts of wind shear as high shear is disruptive to the storm's circulation

 Hurricanes form more than 5 degrees of latitude away from the equator allowing
the Coriolis effect to deflect winds blowing towards the low-pressure centre and
creating a circulation.