Hurricanes are intense tropical cyclones that form over warm ocean waters and are characterized by a low-pressure center, organized deep convection, and strong cyclonic surface winds. They derive energy from latent heat released during condensation within deep convective clouds, requiring sea surface temperatures typically above ~26–27 °C, sufficient Coriolis force to initiate rotation, and weak vertical wind shear to maintain structural integrity. Hurricanes exhibit a warm-core structure, an eye and eyewall, and spiral rainbands, and are classified by maximum sustained wind speed. They are central topics in atmospheric science, climate research, and risk modeling due to their role in heat transport, extreme precipitation, storm surge, and high-wind hazards.
During the final week of summer in 2021, Hurricane Ida emerged from the Gulf of Mexico, turned almost directly northeast and swept through the South en route to Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Earth Sciences
May 29, 2025
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The butterfly effect suggests that small changes in a system can have a large impact on eventual outcomes. One metaphor used to illustrate this concept is a butterfly flapping its wings only to cause a hurricane across the ...
Earth Sciences
May 28, 2025
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U.S. forecasters are expecting an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, with 13 to 19 named storms, and 6 to 10 of those becoming hurricanes.
Environment
May 25, 2025
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With warmer than normal ocean waters, forecasters are expecting yet another unusually busy hurricane season for the Atlantic. But they don't think it will be as chaotic as 2024, the third-costliest season on record as it ...
Environment
May 22, 2025
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Hurricane winds are a major contributor to storm-related losses for people living in the southeastern coastal states. As the global temperature continues to rise, scientists predict that hurricanes will get more destructive—packing ...
Environment
May 21, 2025
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The National Hurricane Center's forecasts in 2024 were its most accurate on record, from its one-day forecasts, as tropical cyclones neared the coast, to its forecasts five days into the future, when storms were only beginning ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2025
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Communities on small islands are on the front lines of worsening flood risks—not just from severe storms but from persistent tidal flooding events. Scientists estimate that within 15 years, high-tide flood events could triple ...
Earth Sciences
May 5, 2025
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Drought-fueled wildfires in Southern California, a devastating hurricane in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and catastrophic floods in New England are among the most recent disasters to bring the increasingly astronomical ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2025
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More than two-thirds of Floridians are moderately or extremely concerned about hurricanes increasing in strength and frequency, according to a new Florida Atlantic University survey.
Environment
Apr 22, 2025
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Tropical cyclones are hurricanes that brew over the tropical ocean and can travel over land, inundating coastal regions. The most extreme cyclones can generate devastating storm tides—seawater that is heightened by the tides ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 11, 2025
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