1. Massive Storms with Names
Hurricanes
Massive Storms with Names

3. What is a hurricane?
A hurricane is an intense, rotating storm that starts over tropical waters and has constant wind speeds of more than 119 km/hr (74 mph).
Hurricanes are not as powerful as tornadoes, but they are larger and can affect more people than a tornado.
Hurricanes are given names and dozens of hurricanes affect the United States and Mexico each year.

5. What causes hurricanes?
Hurricanes occur when the moist, warm air from the surface of the ocean rises and meets the cooler air in the sky.
As cold and warm air mix, a wind pattern is created that moves in a spiral fashion around a calm center, which is referred to as the hurricane eye.
Hurricanes are only powerful as long as they have warm water to give them energy.

7. Effects of Hurricanes
Storm surge is the most devastating effect that accounts for 90% of the hurricane deaths.
The overall effect of a hurricane depends on speed of the wind.
It is a fact that inland flooding causes more deaths than the actual hurricane storms.
Ecosystems can be destroyed or buried by water for long periods of time, which kills plants and animals.