We hear about hurricanes every year, but how do hurricanes work?
Most hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean start as
thunderstorms off the coast of Africa. As they travel across the
tropical waters around the equator, they pick up moisture and
energy, eventually crashing into land where they quickly fall
apart. Before they break up though, hurricanes create a lot of
problems for people in their path. The sustained winds in a
category 1 hurricane can be as low as 75+ miles per hour and for
a category 5, they can be upwards of 155+ miles per hour! These
winds can cause huge amounts of damage and storm surges, giant
walls of water up to 18 feet tall, and flying debris. Those 3
factors (wind, water and debris) mixed together is a recipe for
danger. Tornadoes often spin out of hurricanes as an added
bonus. The spinning action of a hurricane is the result of the
Coriolis effect. Because hurricanes are so massive in size, the
relatively tiny Coriolis effect is capable of accumulating
rapidly, forcing the storm