99 Fascinating Facts About Hurricanes [Free Fact Cards]

Hey there, storm chasers! Get ready to spin into the wild world of hurricanes with these fascinating facts about hurricanes. These huge storms can be as big as 600 miles across! Hurricanes are powerful and can be scary, but learning about them is super interesting and helps us stay safe.

Hurricanes are born over warm ocean waters. They start as just a little breeze and then grow into a big swirling monster because the warm water is like food for the storm. They can’t live on land, though so once they move over land, they become weaker, like when your toy runs out of batteries.

Did you know that all hurricanes have names? Scientists give them names so we can tell them apart and remember them, just like you remember your friends’ names. Each year, the names start with different letters of the alphabet, and some names, like Katrina or Sandy, are famous because those storms were so huge.

Inside a hurricane, it’s not just wind blowing; there’s also a lot of rain. This can cause flooding. That’s why, during hurricanes, it’s vital to listen to adults and stay safe. But hurricanes also have a quiet spot in the middle called the “eye,” where it’s calm and peaceful.

So, while hurricanes can be a little bit frightening, they’re also a part of our Earth’s weather. By knowing more about them, we can understand how our planet works and how to be ready when big storms come to visit. Let’s dive into more facts about hurricanes now!

Don’t forget to grab your free Hurricanes fact cards below! 

Are you collecting all our fact cards? Be sure to grab our Facts About the Titanic and our Facts About Bacon.

Best Facts About Hurricanes

1. Hurricane warnings are issued when a hurricane is expected within 24 hours.
2. Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale and the 1 to 5 rating scale based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. This system measures wind speed to determine the strength and intensity of a hurricane.
3. Hurricanes can last for weeks, but most usually last about 10 days.
4. A hurricane can release energy equivalent to 10 atomic bombs per second.
5. Hurricane Allen, July 31, 1980, formed in the Atlantic. It was a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 190 mph.

6. The Intertropical Convergence Zone is an area that encircles our planet near the thermal equator and is considered the birthplace of most hurricanes.
7. Anyone can check the recent hurricane name list to see if their name is on there. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml
8. The deadliest hurricane in U.S. History happened in Galveston, Texas, in 1900 and killed more than 8,000 people.
9. Hurricanes are one of the deadliest natural disasters on our planet.
10. Forty percent of the hurricanes in the United States hit Florida.

11. The eye of the hurricane is calm with blue skies and some confuse this with being the end of the storm.
12. Hurricanes can range in size from 100 miles to 1000 miles wide.
13. A hurricane saved Japan from an attempted attack by the Mongols in 1281.
14. Hurricanes produce enough energy in one day to run the lights of Las Vegas for many years.
15. Hurricanes can have two eyes.

16. A Hurricane has been swirling on Jupiter for over 300 years and is bigger than the Earth.
17. The right side of a hurricane is the most dangerous because of storm surges, wind, and tornadoes.
18. NASA can see hurricanes from space.
19. Hurricane forecasts rely on Air Force Pilots who zigzag through the eye of the storm, releasing parachute-equipped tubes containing instruments that measure pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed.
20. The temperature in a hurricane eye can exceed 80 degrees F. thousands of feet above the sea.

21. Hurricanes are sometimes called “heat engines.”
22. Hurricanes usually occur at sea but become quite dangerous when they move toward land and cause severe damage.
23. A hurricane is a weather phenomenon that causes devastating damage to land.
24. Five of the ten most costly hurricanes in the U.S. have occurred since 1990.
25. Water must be at a specific depth, at least 200 feet, for a hurricane to form.

26. potential for significant loss of life and property damage.
27. A hurricane can reach 40,000 to 50,000 feet up into the sky.
28. A hurricane’s strength depends on the temperature of the water. The warmer the water, the stronger the hurricane becomes.
29. On average, a hurricane season brings 10.6 tropical storms. Six of those will become hurricanes, and at least 2 will become major hurricanes measuring a Category 3 or more.
30. Hurricanes rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and in the northern hemisphere, they rotate in a counterclockwise direction.

31. Hurricane Sandy was nicknamed the Frankenstorm because it combined two systems.
32. Hurricane season in the Atlantic usually lasts from June 1 to November 30, with most hurricanes forming in the fall.
33. Hurricanes affect the Coastal Region the most.
34. Hurricanes are tropical storms with heavy rainfall and extremely strong winds.
35. Another name for hurricanes is tropical cyclones. The difference is wind speed. After winds reach wind speeds of 74 mph it moves from a tropical storm to being a hurricane.

36. Hurricanes that have been especially destructive in recent years in the US: Katrina, Irma, Harvey, Florence, and Maria.
37. The first flight into a hurricane was in 1943 during World War II.
38. The first hurricane of the year is given a name beginning with the letter “A.”
39. Storm surges are responsible for 90% of all hurricane deaths.
40. Meteorologists started naming tropical storms and hurricanes to keep track of the storms in forecasts and news reports.

41. Hurricane names are not reused and will be retired if the hurricane is big and destructive.
42. Hurricanes are also known as Cyclones and typhoons, depending on their location.
43. The Fujiwhara effect is known when hurricanes circle each other.
44. The world’s deadliest hurricane was the Bhola Cyclone in 1970. It is estimated to have killed close to 500,000 people.
45. Typhoon Tip, which occurred in 1979, is the largest hurricane recorded in the northwest Pacific.

46. The eye wall is the thick ring of clouds surrounding the eye and is the strongest part of the hurricane.
47. Hurricane Hunters drop sensors to measure temperature, pressure, wind and moisture in a storm.
48. Hurricanes have killed approximately 1.9 million worldwide over the past 200 years.
49. Hurricanes never form at the equator because they need the Coriolis Force, which is very weak.
50. The Great Hurricane of 1780 was likely a category 5, and killed 22,000 people in the Lesser Antilles.

51. One hurricane can stir up millions of miles of air.
52. Hurricanes can create tornados.
53. Hurricanes quickly lose strength after making landfall and move inland.
54. The most costly hurricane in US History was Hurricane Katrina, which was a category 5 and hit Louisiana in August 2005. The damage estimate was $108 billion.
55. The first known hurricane was reported by Christopher Columbus.

56. A hurricane watch is issued when the storm is 24 to 36 hours away.
57. A hurricane needs three things to form. 1. Pre-existing condition disturbance with thunderstorms, 2. Warm water needs to be at a depth of 150 ft, and 3. Light upper-level winds.
58. Hurricane season in the Eastern Pacific is from May 15 to November 30.
59. The first male name used to name hurricanes was Bob.
60. The longest hurricane ever recorded lasted for 31 days.

61. Hurricane Camille (1969) is considered the strongest hurricane to strike land, with a record of 210 mph winds when it made landfall.
62. Hurricane Irma was the costliest storm for Florida in both lives and money.
63. Hurricane Florence was larger than every state east of the Mississippi and covered over 73,000 miles.
64. Hurricanes never combine to form a major storm.
65. Hurricane winds can pull up entire trees and destroy buildings.

66. Approximately five hurricanes strike the U.S. coastline during an average three-year period, and two are major hurricanes over 110 mph.
67. In the years with an El Nino, there are typically fewer tropical storms and hurricanes.
68. A hurricane stirs up millions of miles of air and can dump more than 2.4 trillion gallons of rain daily.
69. Hurricanes rotate around a circular center. This is called “the eye” and is generally calm with no clouds.
70. The largest hurricanes can be the same size as the state of Montana or 600 miles wide.

71. A hurricane is made up of 2 different types of clouds, both cumulus and cumulonimbus.
72. Hurricanes fall into 5 categories that range from Category 1, which is the weakest class, to Category 5, which is the most powerful with expected catastrophic damage.
73. In the years with La Nina, ocean waters in the tropical pacific temperatures are cooler. Research has found an increased number of hurricanes.
74. A hurricane is considered to make landfall when its center has crossed the coastline, not the outer edges.
75. Hurricanes have rainbands on the outer edge. It is this rain that is so heavy that causes floods.

76. Hurricanes release the same amount of energy equal to 10 atomic bombs.
77. Hurricanes are named by the World Meteorological Organization. Hurricanes are named alphabetically and can only be repeated every 6 years.
78. Hurricane Storm surges can reach over 20 feet high and extend close to 100 miles.
79. The fastest recorded hurricane was “The Long Island Express” in 1938.
80. Hurricanes kill more people than any other type of storm.

81. Hurricanes are among the largest and most intense storms produced by nature.
82. Hurricanes can devastate an area for days, weeks, and months.
83. Hurricanes often spawn tornadoes.
84. The National Hurricane Center started naming Hurricanes in 1953 and only used female names.
85. Coriolis Force is energy produced by the earth’s rotation and determines which direction a hurricane will rotate.

86. The word “Hurricane” comes from Huracan, named for the God of evil on some islands in the Caribbean.
87. Hurricanes have an “eye wall,” which is part of the hurricane that surrounds the eye and is the most dangerous part of the hurricane and has the strongest winds, thickest clouds, and heaviest rains.
88. A hurricane produces violent winds that can will turn anything into a deadly projectile.
89. Hurricanes can last several days and are approximately 2,000 times bigger than tornadoes on average.
90. During a hurricane, guards standing at the tomb of the unknown soldier stay at their posts.

91. Hurricanes need warm water to develop and continuous access to warm water to build strength.
92. Hurricanes that move slowly produce more rainfall and can cause more damage from flooding than faster-moving, more powerful hurricanes.
93. Hurricanes have winds of at least 74 miles per hour.
94. The Southern Hemisphere usually experiences half the number of hurricanes as the Northern Hemisphere every year.
95. Hurricanes form over warm water near the equator.

96. Storm surge is when high hurricane winds drive the sea toward the shoreline. This causes water levels to rise and creates large waves. Storm surges can reach 6 m high and extend to over 150kmph.
97. Hurricanes are classified into 5 categories based on their wind speeds and potential to cause damage.
98. Hurricanes grow by taking heat from the ocean and converting it into energy for their winds.
99. Hurricanes have three main parts: The eye, the eye wall, and rain bands.

Do you have even more interesting facts about hurricanes? Share them with us in the comments! Also, don’t forget to grab your free moon fact cards to add to your collection!