There are no other storms like hurricanes on
Earth.
Views of hurricanes from satellites located thousands of miles above
the
Earth show how these powerful, tightly coiled weather systems are
unique. Each
year, on average, 10 tropical storms (of which six become hurricanes)
develop
over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico.
Many of
these storms remain over the ocean. However, an average of
five hurricanes
strike the United States coastline every three years. Of these five,
two
will be major hurricanes, which are storms of category 3 or
higher
on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which corresponds to hurricanes with winds
at or above 111 miles per hour.
Timely warnings have greatly diminished
hurricane fatalities
in the United States. In spite of this, property damage continues to
mount.
There is little we can do about the hurricanes themselves. However, the
National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Tropical
Prediction Center and National
Weather
Service (NWS) field offices team up with other federal,
state, and
local agencies; rescue and relief organizations; the private sector;
and
the news media in a huge warning and preparedness effort.
