Interesting fact 1: How do hurricanes develop? 

According to NOAA and Weather.gov, hurricanes form over warm (over 79 degrees Fahrenheit) ocean waters in the Atlantic basin. The warm, moist air above the ocean surface rises, causing air from surrounding areas to be “sucked” in. This “new” air then becomes warm and moist and rises, beginning a continuous cycle that forms clouds and eventually forms into a tropical cyclone.  

If the tropical cyclone has a wind speed of over 74 mph, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricane season begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th. It is worth mentioning that hurricanes have occurred outside of this timeframe. 

Interesting fact 2: Determining the Strength of a Hurricane

To determine the strength of a hurricane, scientists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. This scale is used to select a hurricane’s category on a 1 to 5 rating. A hurricane’s category is based on its maximum sustained winds. The higher a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed, the more destruction it can cause. 

Interesting fact 3: Naming and Retiring Hurricane Names 

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is in charge of naming and retiring the names of hurricanes. According to ConserveEnergyFuture.com, a hurricane’s name is retired when a storm has caused deaths or destruction. Some of the most expensive hurricanes on record are hurricanes Katrina, Maria, Irma, Harvey, Sandy, and Andrew.

Interesting fact 4: El Nino and La Nina effects on Hurricanes

Scientists observe that the years with fewer hurricanes during El Nino, but what is El Nino? According to NOAA El Niño (EN), large-scale weakening of the trade winds and warming of the surface layers in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Niño events occur irregularly at intervals of 2-7 years. In years with an El Niño, fewer tropical storms and hurricanes appear because vertical shear increases during El Niño years. 

La Nina, on the other hand, causes trade winds to be even stronger. Researchers believe the La Nina has increased number of the number of hurricanes.