Dedicated to Pharmolo For All His Help

                                      HURRICANES

A hurrican is a powerful, rotating storm that forms over warm waters near the Equator.  Another name for a hurricane is a Tropical Cyclone.  Hurricanes have strong, rotating winds, at least 74 mph (119 kph) a huge amount of rain, low air pressure, thunder and lightening.  The cyclonic winds of a hurricane rotate in a counterclockwise direction, around a central, calm eye.

If this type of storm forms in the western Pacific Ocean, it is called a Typhoon.

Hurricanes often travel from the ocean, to the coast and onto the land.  This is where the wind, rain and huge waves cause extensive destruction.

Generally, when it moves over land or warm waters, the storm weakens and quickly dies down, because these storms are fueld by warm water.

On average, there are 100 tropical cyclones each year, with 12 forming in the Atlantic, 15 forming in the Pacific, and the rest in other worldwide areas.

HURRICANE SEASON is the time when most Atlantic hurricanes occur, from June 1 to November 30.  In the eastern Pacific, it is from May 15 to November 30.

The weather symbol for a hurricane looks like a large, thick "S" shape.  Marine flags that alert boaters to a hurricane are two red flags with black squares in the center.

Thank you, Guido, for always keeping us posted about the when and where of these incredible forces of nature.