What are Hurricanes?

Have you heard the news of Hurricane named Idalia is moving towards the Florida and it is categorized as category 3 strength Hurricane?
If you have heard the news then do you know how Hurricanes forms and how are they classified? If you don't know then let's get to know.

When a cluster of thunderstorm develop over warm tropical Ocean and moves towards low pressure area it starts rotating when these clusters grow in size they known as tropical cyclones. The word cyclone is derived from the Greek word Cyclos meaning the coils of a snake and it was coined by Henry Piddington.

Cyclones are the most violent storms on Earth. People call these storms by other names, such as typhoons or cyclones Tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean are called Hurricanes. Hurricanes are large storms which can produce wind of upto 120km/hr. Winds of Hurricane can damage buildings and trees and can also cause flooding in affected areas.

There are 6 factors that can be held responsible for the formation of the cyclone:

1. Warm temperature at the surface of the sea.
2. Instability in atmosphere.
3. Coriolis force: Coriolis force is an apparent force caused by the earth's rotation. The Coriolis force is responsible for deflecting winds towards the right in the northern hemisphere and towards the left in the southern hemisphere.
4. High level of humidity in lower part of troposphere.
5. Low pressure area
6. Low vertical wind shear: Wind shear is a change in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance. 

There are five categories of hurricanes. The categories are based on wind speed.

1. Category 1: wind speed 119 to 153 km/hr.
2. Category 2: wind speed 154 to 177 km/hr.
3. Category 3: wind speed 178 to 208 km/hr.
4. Category 4: wind speed 209 to 251 km/hr.
5. Category 5: wind speed more than 252 km/hr.

There are three main parts of Hurricane.

Eye: The eye is the "hole" at the center of the storm. 
Eye wall: The eye wall is a ring of thunderstorms. The wall is where winds are strongest and rain is heaviest.
Rain bands: Bands of clouds and rain go far out from a hurricane's eye wall. These bands stretch for hundreds of miles. 

How are Hurricanes Named?
There can be more than one hurricane at a time. This is one reason hurricanes are named. Names make it easier to keep track of and talk about storms.

Each year, tropical storms are named in alphabetical order. The names come from a list of names for that year. There are six lists of names. Lists are reused every six years. If a storm does a lot of damage, its name is sometimes taken off the list. It is then replaced by a new name that starts with the same letter.

Some most devastating Hurricanes:

1. Hurricane Katrina: It is Category 5 Hurricane forme in Atlantic Ocean on 23rd August 2005. It takes the lives of 1836 people and damage the property of around $145 billion.

2. Hurricane Maria: This category 5 Hurricane hits the Puerto Rico in September 2017 and accounted for almost 3000 deaths.

3. Hurricane Sandy: It was extremely destructive Hurricane of Octavia 2012. It was largest Atlanic Hurricane.

4. Hurricane Sandra: It was one of the major hurricanes in the north-east Pacific region.

5. Hurricane Camille: Hurricane Camille impacted the southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama Hurricane Camille made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Camille ranks as the 2nd most intense hurricane to strike the continental US, Camille ranks just below the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane.

6. Labor Day Hurricane: The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, which struck the Florida on September 2, still holds the record for the lowest pressure ever recorded for any tropical cyclone or hurricane in the Western Hemisphere.