OVERVIEW
Tropical storms and hurricanes are formed when several different weather conditions occur
simultaneously. The two basic ingredients are warm ocean waters and favorable wind conditions.
These conditions called tropical cyclones occur every year in the Tropics between late May and
early November.
A tropical storm is a lesser form of a hurricane. On average, about 10 named tropical storms
develop each hurricane season. About half of these strengthen into hurricanes.
A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with winds exceeding 74 MPH, originating in the tropical
regions of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, or the Gulf of Mexico.
The center, or eye, is relatively calm. The most violent activity takes place in the area
immediately around the eye, called the “eye wall”.
The hurricane can reach an altitude of 50,000 feet and can be hundreds of miles wide. In can
carry a dome of water 50 to 100 miles wide and up to 30 feet high called the STORM SURGE.
When this storm surge reaches a barrier island, it usually has waves of three feet or more on top
of the storm surge so that a 10 foot storm surge could have waves that cap at 13 feet. If the
storm surge arrives at the same time as high tide, the flood height is even higher and the flooding
effect is more devastating.
Please familiarize yourself with the attached document for Hurricane Information.
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