Hurricanes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hurricanes - Essay Example The paper explores hurricanes centering on the formation and characteristics of the hurricanes. A hurricane assembles energy as it progress across the ocean water, drawing up warm, moist tropical air from the surface and supplying breezy air aloft. The Coriolis force is essential in the creation  of a hurricane  although the force becomes weak near the equator. Thus, hurricanes can never form at the equator. Hurricanes typically haves an average diameter of about 500 km (311 miles) with strong winds  spiraling inward and upward at speeds that range from 75 to 200 mph (Ahrens, 2007). Hurricanes usually start as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters with surface waters temperatures reaching at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees) or warmer. The low pressure systems  derive energy flowing from the warm seas. A hurricane usually starts as a tropical wave before it becomes a tropical disturbance. In the event that a storm attains wind speeds of about 38 miles (61 kilometers or less) an hour, the storm is otherwise referred to as a tropical depression. A tropical depression is known as tropical storm when it sustains wind speeds of about 39 miles to 73 mph (63 kilometers) an hour. If a tropical storm reaches sustained wind speeds of about 74 miles or more (199 kilometers) an hour, it becomes a hurricane and gains a category rating of 1 to 5 based on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Hurricanes represent massive heat engines that generate energy at an immense scale. Hurricanes usually derive heat from warm, moist ocean air and release it via condensation of water vapor in thunderstorms. Hurricanes rotate around a low-pressure centre known as the â€Å"eye,† exemplified by light winds and fair weather. The â€Å"eye† emanates from sinking air at the centre. Hurricanes mainly spiral in a counter-clockwise direction  with the