Hurricanes are large, swirling storms with very low pressure and winds between 75-200 mph that form over warm ocean waters. They rotate counterclockwise around an eye, which is the center of calm within the storm. When hurricanes make landfall, they can cause severe damage from high winds and heavy rain as well as storm surges, which are rises in sea level that can flood coastal areas. Hurricanes are monitored and categorized on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their wind speeds and potential for property damage.

1. Hurricanes What is a hurricane?

2. Hurricanes are very large, swirling storms with very low pressure at their center. Hurricanes can be up to 600 miles wide and have winds of 75 to 200 mph. Evaporation from warm sea water increases their power. What is evaporation?

3. The Eye Hurricanes rotate counterclockwise around an eye. The eye has only light winds and fair weather.

4. When hurricanes come onto land they cause a lot of damage to buildings, trees, and cars.

5. Storm Surge

6. Storm surges cause a lot of destruction especially where there is a shallow-water coastline. STORM SURGE VIDEO

8. Hurricane Season The Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, but most hurricanes occur during the fall months. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is from May 15 to November 30.

9. Naming Hurricanes The World Meteorological Organization uses different sets of names depending on the part of the world the storm is in. Around the U.S., only women's names were used until 1979. Then it was decided that they should alternate a list that included men's names too. There's 6 different name lists that alternate each year. If a hurricane does significant damage, its name is retired and replaced with another.

10. In 2009 the names will be… Ana Bill Claudette Danny Erika Fred Grace Henri Ida Joaquin Kate Larry Mindy Nicholas Odette Peter Rose Sam Teresa Victor Wanda

11. Hurricane Paths for 2005

12. Categorizing Hurricanes-VIDEO Category 1 74-95 mph winds Least amount of damage Category 2 96-110 mph winds Will rip shingles off of roofs Category 3 111-130 mph winds Blows down trees, destroys mobile homes Category 4 131-155 mph winds Extensive damage, high chance of flooding Category 5 156+ mph winds Small buildings are overturned or blown away