What determines a hurricane?
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A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over tropical or subtropical waters… Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. When a storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, it is called a hurricane.
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When the maximum sustained winds of a tropical storm reach 74 mph, they officially become classified as a Hurricane. The classification scale takes over to describe their intensities.
To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have one-minute maximum sustained winds of at least 74 mph (33 m/s; 64 kn; 119 km/h) (Category 1). The highest classification in the scale is a Category 5 hurricane.
But the wind environment in proximity to a hurricane is a key part of the strength forecast. All of the above are closely monitored by the Hurricane Hunter aircraft that you’ve heard about. Those...
In order to assign a numeric category value to a hurricane, meteorologists look to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which was developed as a classification system for Western Hemisphere...
Similarly, what determines a category 5 hurricane? A Category 5 Atlantic hurricane is one that is considered by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), to have had sustained wind speeds greater than 136 knots (157 mph; 252 km/h; 70 m/s) on the Saffir–Simpson scale. No Category 5 hurricanes were observed officially before 1924.
Strong Winds determines the intensity of a hurricane The intensity of a tropical cyclone is measured by the highest sustained wind speed found within it. Once it becomes a hurricane , the relative strength of that hurricane is also measured on a scale based on its greatest wind speed .
Whipping up a hurricane calls for a number of ingredients readily available in tropical areas: A pre-existing weather disturbance : A hurricane often starts out as a tropical wave. Warm water : Water at least 26.5 degrees Celsius over a depth of 50 meters powers the storm.
Hurricanes make "landfall" when the center of the eye moves over land. From the NOAA National Hurricane Center glossary : Landfall: The intersection of the surface center of a tropical cyclone with a coastline.Because the strongest winds in a tropical cyclone are not located precisely at the center, it is possible for a cyclone's strongest winds to be experienced over land even if landfall does not occur.
In general, hurricanes are steered by global winds. The prevailing winds that surround a hurricane, also known as the environmental wind field, are what guide a hurricane along its path. The hurricane propagates in the direction of this wind field, which also factors into the system’s propagation speed.