Anatomy of a Hurricane

• not a single storm

• a band of thunderstorms rotating around a center

• most intense rain and wind gusts in rain bands

  • if tornadoes are associated with the hurricane they form

Eyewall and Eye

• eyewall: a ring of tall thunderstorms encircling the eye

  • highest wind speeds and heaviest rainfall

• warm air spirals upwards and outwards

• outflow of air replaced with cool air that sinks into the center from the top of the storm

  • warm and absorbs moisture

  • leaves core of storm (eye) clear and cloud-free

Eye

• hurricane hunters fly into the eye of the storm

  • eye is calm

• Hurricane Irma, September 2017:

  • most powerful hurricane on record until Dorian (2019)

  • most intense hurricane to strike continental US since Katrina (2005)

Hurricane Dissipation

• hurricanes dissipate (lose energy) if:

  1. they move over cool water (separated from heat source)

  2. they move over land (separated from moisture source)