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What is a Hurricane? 

Tropical Depressions, Tropical Storms, and Hurricanes are all Tropical Cyclones. They can be over 1200 miles in diameter. Tropical Cyclones are storms driven by energy from warm ocean water. Water absorbs heat (energy) from the sun and evaporates. The high energy water molecules carry that energy as they rise into the atmosphere. Cold air in the atmosphere forces the water molecule to release some energy and condense into a droplet, forming the clouds of very tall thunderstorms. As each water molecule releases energy, it pushes on other molecules, causing them to move.

Tropical Cyclones rotate about a center due to the conservation of angular momentum of the Earth’s rotation. The arms or bands of a hurricane seen in satellite images are moving to the center of the storm.

Hurricanes begin life as a tropical depression with sustained winds less than 39 mph. As they become better organized and the wind increases above 38 mph, it becomes a tropical storm. Once it reaches 74 mph, it is a hurricane. Hurricanes with sustained winds over 110 mph are major hurricanes.