Atlantic hurricane

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An Atlantic hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean primarily between June and November. The terms "hurricane", "typhoon", and "tropical cyclone" can be used interchangeably to describe this weather phenomenon. These storms are continuously rotating around a low pressure center, which causes stormy weather across a large area, which is not limited to just the eye of the storm. They are organized systems of clouds and thunderstorms that originate over tropical or subtropical waters and have closed low-level circulation, and should not be confused with tornadoes, which are another type of cyclone. In the North Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific, the term hurricane is used, whereas typhoon is used in the Western Pacific near Asia. The more general term cyclone is used in the rest of the ocean basins, namely the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Tropical cyclones can be categorized by intensity. Tropical storms have one-minute maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph (34 knots, 17 m/s, 63 km/h), while hurricanes must achieve the target of one-minute maximum sustained winds that is 75 mph or more (64 knots, 33 m/s, 119 km/h).

Until the mid-1900s, storms were named arbitrarily. The practice of naming storms from a predetermined list began in 1953. Hurricanes that result in significant damage or casualties may have their names retired from the list. On average, 14 named storms occur each season in the North Atlantic basin, with 7 becoming hurricanes and 3 becoming major hurricanes (Category 3 or greater). In April 2004, Catarina became the first storm of hurricane strength to be recorded in the South Atlantic Ocean.