In the Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, intense tropical storms are referred to as cyclones.

The highest pressures ever recorded in the western hemisphere are associated with hurricanes.

Hurricanes develop most often in the late summer when ocean waters have reached temperatures of 27°C (80°F) or higher.

Most tropical disturbances that occur each year develop into full-fledged hurricanes.

The primary source of energy for a hurricane is the latent heat that is liberated when huge quantities of water vapor condense.

One circumstance that may inhibit a tropical disturbance from becoming a hurricane is the formation of a trade wind inversion.

The greatest single advancement in tools used for observing tropical cyclones has been the development of radar.

On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale a category 1 hurricane causes catastrophic damage.

Many hurricanes approaching North America from the southeast are turned toward the northeast, away from the continent, by the steering effect of an upper-level trough.

Most hurricanes form within the global wind belt referred to as the trade winds.

In the United States, the number of deaths caused by hurricanes has decreased while the amount of property damage has increased.