In this article I will talk about what a hurricane is. How they are formed. What time of year they occur. Inform the reader about the different categories a hurricane has. I will also update you on major hurricanes in the United States. A hurricane or tropical cyclone is an intense, rotating ocean weather system that has maximum sustained winds exceeding 119 km/h (74 mph). It forms and intensifies in tropical ocean regions. Hurricanes are generally smaller than mid-latitude storms, typically having a diameter of around 500 km (311 miles). At the ocean surface, air rotates inward counterclockwise. This cyclonic circulation weakens with altitude, eventually transforming into a clockwise flow near the top of the storm. Hurricanes collect heat and energy from warm ocean waters. The evaporation of seawater increases their power. Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise around an “eye.” The center of the storm or “eye” is the calmest part. There are only light winds and good weather. When they reach land, heavy rain, strong winds and large waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Hurricanes form in tropical regions. They form there because they need warm water of at least 80° Fahrenheit, high humidity with moist air, light winds, and very warm surface temperatures. Summer and early fall are perfect for hurricanes to sweep through the oceans around us. Most Atlantic hurricanes brew on African coasts. For this, the hurricane season in the northern hemisphere is considered to be the months of June and November. The first sign of a hurricane is a group of thunderstorms over the tropics...... middle of paper ......f the strongest storms to impact the coasts of the United States during of the last 100 years. With sustained winds at landfall of 125 mph (110 knots) (a strong Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale) and the third lowest minimum central pressure on record at landfall (920 mb ), Katrina caused widespread devastation along the central Gulf Coast. States of the United States. Cities such as New Orleans, Los Angeles, Mobile, AL, and Gulfport, MS bore the brunt of Katrina's force and will need weeks and months of recovery efforts to restore normalcy. Hurricane Katrina initially developed as a tropical depression (TD #12 of the season) in the southeastern Bahamas on August 23. This tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Katrina the next day. It then moved slowly along a northwestward then westward trajectory across the Bahamas, increasing in strength during this period..