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. 

• 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.

• On the average each year, six Atlantic hurricanes occur. There are 5 different types of hurricane categories.

• Hurrican Season.
  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.

• The winds of the hurricane spin in a counterclockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

• Sustained winds of 100-150 mph (160-240 km/h) occur with a typical hurricane. Some winds may exceed 200 mph (320 km/h).
  
  

• 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.

Heat from Hurricanes

• 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.