How do hurricanes form for kids

Tropical cyclones are like giant engines that use warm, moist air as fuel. That is why they form only over warm ocean waters near the equator. The warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface.

Because this air moves up and away from the surface, there is less air left near the surface. Another way to say the same thing is that the warm air rises, causing an area of lower air pressure below. A cumulonimbus cloud. A tropical cyclone has so many of these, they form huge, circular bands. Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure pushes in to the low pressure area.

Then that "new" air becomes warm and moist and rises, too. As the warm air continues to rise, the surrounding air swirls in to take its place.

As the warmed, moist air rises and cools off, the water in the air forms clouds. The whole system of clouds and wind spins and grows, fed by the ocean's heat and water evaporating from the surface. Storms that form north of the equator spin counterclockwise. Storms south of the equator spin clockwise. Hurricane Supply Checklist: Here is a list of what what you will need if you chose to stay at your home during a hurricane. Hurricanes What is a hurricane? A hurricane is a huge storm! It can be up to miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and upward at speeds of 75 to mph.

Each hurricane usually lasts for over a week, moving miles per hour over the open ocean. Hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters. Evaporation from the seawater increases their power. Hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction around an "eye" in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere. The center of the storm or "eye" is the calmest part. It has only light winds and fair weather.

Violent winds flip cars, sink boats, and rip houses apart. Wind creates high waves and pushes the water onto shore. The water surge can be 30 feet high. That's as high as a 3-story building.

Storm surges cause most of the fatalities and damage. In addition to the storm surge, hurricanes bring rain. Lots of rain. In , a storm hammered Taiwan with inches of rain in only three days. Hurricane rains cause landslides, flash floods, and long-term floods.