Hurricane Fact Sheet
Hurricane Fact Sheet
A hurricane is a large whirling storm that usually measures 200 to 500 miles (320 to 800 km) across.
On the average each year, six Atlantic hurricanes occur.
Sustained winds of 100-150 mph (160-240 km/h) occur with a typical hurricane. Some winds may exceed 200 mph (320 km/h).
The eye of the hurricane averages 14-25 miles (22-40 km) across. The eye is quite calm as compared to the winds in the eye wall.
The winds of the hurricane spin in a counterclockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the North Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30. Over the Western Pacific, the typical cyclone season is never quite over.
If the heat released by an average hurricane in one day could be converted to electricity, it could supply the United States' electrical needs for about six months.
The heat energy released in a single day can equal the energy released by the fusion of four hundred 20-megaton hydrogen bombs.
As it travels across the ocean, a hurricane may pick up as much as two billion tons of water each day through evaporation and sea spray.
Some two million metric tons of air are circulated in, up and out of the hurricane each second.
Related Internet resources:
http://scienceforfamilies.allinfo-about.com/features/hurricanes.html
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