Hurricanes, also called tropical cyclones, are atmospheric phenomena that, depending on their intensity, can cause greater destruction in the areas they impact, by causing large storm surges, strong winds, intense rainfall, landslides, and flooding.
As detailed by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the system needs two elements to form: warm air, and water evaporating from the ocean surface must be hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
These components cause a low pressure system to be organized in tropical waters, made up of rain and electrical storms, which is called a tropical wave.
If the wave intensifies and its winds increase up to 38 miles per hour, it becomes a tropical depression.
When winds pass 39 mph but stay within 73 mph, it is considered a tropical storm.
When the phenomenon has sustained winds of 74 mph or more, it is called a hurricane.
As the winds from these events increase, the inner bands close in and surround a central area known as “the eye.” When the system eventually becomes a hurricane and makes landfall, the dry air, combined with increased friction from the ground, causes it to weaken.
According to the data of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), although the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs through November 30, the peak is during the months of August, September, and October. This is because time has the aforementioned elements that contribute to its formation.
WHERE ARE THEY FORMED?
Because these systems need warm water and moisture, they can only form in the waters of any ocean near the equator.
Systems that form in the North Atlantic Ocean and the eastern and central North Pacific are called hurricanes, while those that form in the western North Pacific are called typhoons. Those that form in the southern Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.
According to NASAthe storms that form north of the equator rotate counterclockwise and those that form south of the equator rotate clockwise from the equator.
In the Atlantic, the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, for its acronym in English) indicates that during much of the year, waves form every two to three days near the African coast.
As the tropical waves leave the continent, the winds move them towards the ocean, combining with the heat and humidity, the system is strengthened and manages to become a major phenomenon.
“About 85 percent of intense hurricanes and about 60 percent of smaller storms have their origin in African East Waves,” details the NHC.
DOES SAHARA DUST STOP THE FORMATION OF HURRICANES?
The Sahara Air Layer (SALT) It is a mineral-rich, dusty mass that forms over the Sahara desert from late spring to early fall and moves over the Atlantic.
This phenomenon is important in stopping the formation of tropical storms because its dry air can deprive the storm of moisture and the winds can interfere with its convection.
