Hurricanes: Nature's Most Powerful Storms
Hurricanes are nature's ultimate weather machines, and understanding them could literally save your life. These low-pressure systems typically strike in late summer and early autumn when ocean temperatures peak above 26°C. They're measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale from 1-5, though they go by different names worldwide - cyclones in the Indian Ocean, typhoons in the South China Sea.
Hurricane formation requires specific conditions: warm ocean water at least 60-70 metres deep, uniform atmospheric conditions, and location between 5-30° north or south where the Coriolis force can create rotation. They start as easterly waves, develop into tropical depressions, then tropical storms, before reaching hurricane status with winds over 160 km/hr at the eyewall.
The structure is fascinating - a circular system 500-1000km wide with no weather fronts. The calm eye sits at the centre, surrounded by the violent eyewall where the strongest winds and heaviest rain occur. As hurricanes approach, temperatures and pressure drop rapidly, but when the eye passes overhead, you'll experience an eerie three-hour calm before the storm resumes with opposite wind directions.
Remember: Hurricanes move at just 25 km/hr but pack incredible destructive power, turning everyday objects like bins and furniture into deadly projectiles.