Facts About Hurricanes

Hurricanes are the powerful forces that cause catastrophic damage to property and immeasurable sufferings to mankind and loss of lives. Since 1944, the United States Navy (USN) and the United States Air Force (USAF) have taken numerous missions to fly into the eye of the hurricane to gather vital data and warn civilians as well as military personnel of approaching typhoons and hurricanes. They are one of the most deadly and expensive nature's fury. Every year some portion of America is battered by rains and wind of this serious natural disaster. Here are some facts which will educate you about the monster and show how much drama and destruction they cause every year.

Interesting Facts About Hurricanes

• Hurricanes are known by different names in different parts of the world. They are termed as typhoons in Northwest Pacific ocean and west of the International Date Line. Near Australia and in the Indian ocean they are known as cyclones. In Australia they are also known as Willy-willies. In the Philippine Islands, they are called bagnios.
• Hurricane season in the Atlantic ocean peaks from mid August to October last.
• There are 6 to 8 hurricanes in an average season.
• They rotate in anticlockwise direction in northern hemisphere and clockwise in the south of the equator.
• Hurricanes can last from one day to 30 days. Average life of the hurricane is nine days and it is determined by time and place of origin and rate of forward movement. The longest life cycle of a hurricane ever recorded was of cyclone Ginger which lasted for 31 days (from September 5 to October 5 ,1971).
• The first 12 hours of any hurricane is most deadly and destructive.
• They initially move westward and ten turn northward towards the pole.
• The deadliest hurricane in US history is Galveston Hurricane which came on September 8,1900 and claimed more than 6000 lives.
• Hurricane Katrina is the costliest hurricane in US history, which caused over 75 billion dollars of damage.

Causes of Hurricanes
You must be wondering how hurricanes are formed! The main causes of hurricanes are tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters where the temperature of water reaches at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees Celsius). The moisture rich air above the huge water mass becomes warm. This warm air rises, encounters with the cooler air above and condenses. In this way storm clouds are formed. In the process of condensation huge amount of latent heat is released. This latent heat and summer sun warms the cool air which further rises up. This causes more warm humid air from the surface of ocean to rise up. This cycle continues and more and more warm air, laden with vapor, is drawn into the developing system. As the heat exchange continues, ultimately a wind pattern is formed. If the wind speed of this wind pattern becomes greater than 74 mph its termed as a hurricane.

Eye of the Hurricane
The eye of a hurricane is roughly a circular area where winds are calm. This is low pressure area and could be 20-40 miles in diameter. The cross section of the eye is cylindrical and it is surrounded by the eyewall where the most severe weather of the hurricane occurs.

Hurricane Categories and Damage
Based on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, hurricanes are categorized into 5 types. Category of the hurricane determines the necessary precautions needed during the hurricane. Different hurricane categories, wind speed and effects are given in the table below.

Category	Wind Speed	Damaging Effect
1. Weak	74-95mph	Little damage to vegetation
2. Moderate	96-110mph	Reasonable damage to house, farms, etc.
3. Strong	111-130mph	Extensive damage to small buildings
4. Very Strong	131-155mph	Most windows will be blown out from the high rise buildings
5. Devastating	>155mph	Catastrophic damage

Naming of Hurricanes
Have you ever wondered how hurricanes are named? Earlier, lack of a uniform system of naming created many difficulties in communication, forecasts and warnings. The United States National Hurricane Center started the systematic naming of hurricanes (with female names) in 1953. At present, the names of hurricanes are maintained and updated by the World Meteorological Organization or WMO. Generally, the hurricanes once named are not renamed. Distinctive names given to hurricanes can reduce confusion when two or more hurricanes occur at the same time. To decide what names to be used every year, WMO uses six lists in rotation. The same list is used every six years. A new name is assigned only when it is very deadly.

Hurricane Regions
Hurricanes occur in the tropical convergence zones, which are the warm regions of the earth. The main regions of hurricanes are Atlantic basins, Northeast Pacific basin, Northwest Pacific basin, North Indian basin and Southeast Indian basin.

List of Deadliest Atlantic Hurricanes:
Here is a list of some deadliest Atlantic hurricanes that caused at least 1000 direct deaths.

Name	Year
Great Hurricane of 1780	1780
Cuba Hurricane	1791
Sea Islands Hurricane	1893
"Galveston" Hurricane	1900
"Newfoundland" Hurricane	1928
Hurricane Flora	1963
Hurricane Fifi	1974
Hurricane Hazel	1954
Hurricane Inez	1966
Hurricane David	1979
Hurricane Mitch	1998
Hurricane Jeanne	2004
Hurricane Katrina	2005
Hurricane Stan	2005

During hurricane, keep away from low-lying and flood prone area. After the hurricane, stay indoor until it is safe to come out. These facts should excite any aspiring hurricane chaser.