Defining a Hurricane

Q: Who are the Hurricane Hunters? A: The Hurricane Hunters are members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron/403rd Wing, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

According to the National Hurricane Center, "hurricane" is a name for a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean. "Tropical cyclone" is the generic term used for low-pressure systems that develop in the tropics.

"Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 17 meters per second (39 mph / 62.7 kph / 34 knots) are called tropical depressions. Once the tropical cyclone reaches winds of at least 17 meters per second (m/s), it is typically called a tropical storm and assigned a name. If winds reach 33 m/s (74 mph / 119 kph / 64 kt), then it is called a "hurricane."

Hurricanes are defined by the following characteristics:

• They are tropical, meaning that they are generated in tropical areas of the ocean near the Equator.
• They are cyclonic, meaning that their winds swirl around a central eye. Wind direction is counterclockwise (west to east) in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise (east to west) in the Southern Hemisphere (more about this later).
• They are low-pressure systems. The eye of a hurricane is always a low-pressure area. The lowest barometric pressures ever recorded have occurred inside hurricanes.
• The winds swirling around the center of the storm have a sustained speed of at least 74 mph (119 kph / 64 kt).

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