Terms to Understand
Hurricane: The storm has winds of more than 73 mph.
Hurricane Watch: Hurricane force winds of more than 73 mph are possible within 36 hours.
Eye: This is the hurricane's roughly circular center area where the winds are comparatively lighter.
Tropical Storm (TS) : These generate winds of 39-73 mph. Watches and warnings also are issued for these.
Landfall: The place where the center of a storm intersects with land. Because the storm's strongest winds are not in the center, an area can be greatly affected even if the storm doesn't make landfall there.
Storm Surge: The abnormal rise in sea level accompanies a hurricane or other intense storm. This dome of water (often 50 to 100 miles wide) sweeps the coastline near where the hurricane's eye makes landfall. |
