Hurricane information and comparisons
| About: | A hurricane is a cyclone that is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, or the NE Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E, and with sustained winds that reach or exceed 74 mph. |
| Rotation: | Clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere |
| Intensity: | Hurricanes are classified into five categories according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The wind speed and intensity of damage increases as from category 1 to category 5. |
| Location: | North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E. Hurricanes are found near the tropical zone, over warm waters in the Atlantic and Pacific ocean. |
| Most affected areas: | Caribbean Sea |
| Frequency: | 10-15 per year |
| Occurrence: | Usually warm areas |
| Characteristics: | Heavy winds, floods, storm surge, a lot of rain, tornadoes |
| Forms of precipitation: | Rain |
| Number of convective storms: | Several; could be dozens |
| Temperature gradient required: | Small; near zero |
| Life span: | In days |
| Size: | Diameter of hundreds of kilometers |
| Amount of warning: | Days to weeks. The exact area of which the hurricane will hit is known within days, but the storm system will last for significantly longer than that, with changes in its path frequent. |
| Shape: | Symmetrical with often clearly defined center. |