Hurricanes are storms that develop in systems otherwise known as “tropical cyclones”. Tropical cyclones are areas of low pressure located close to earth. The stages in tropical cyclone or hurricane development include tropical depression and tropical storm. The means by which hurricanes eventually become hurricanes has yet to be understood in full, however, six indicators are usually present that fuel hurricanes into full bloom. In addition, certain indicators and time of year play roles in hurricane development over differing parts of the globe. With that said, however, these indicators are not always discernable which is one reason meteorologists have yet to fully grasp hurricane formation.
The six factors usually required for hurricane formation are:
Factor One – Eighty degree water temperatures at least as deep as 150 feet in warm tropical waters.
Factor Two – The higher developing hurricane systems are the faster they must cool in order to release sufficient degrees of energy providing heat.
Factor Three – Areas with large amounts of atmospheric moisture usually sustain high humidity levels that increase storm disturbance development.
Factor Four – Wind shear must be at lower levels. Wind shear has to do with how quickly wind directional changes occur.
Factor Five – Tropical cyclone development normally occurs at latitudes that are five degrees from the equator or distances of approximately 310 miles from the equator.
Factor Six – Pre-existing weather conditions undergoing disturbed states and infused with low-pressure centers as well as ongoing circulation.
For the most part, hurricane development occurs over warm tropical waters and dissipate over land. How long a hurricane lasts depends on how long nurturing factors provide the energy and conditions hurricanes require to sustain themselves.
Tropical Depression Stage:
In the beginning stages of hurricane development little storms called tropical depressions form. Tropical depressions look like collections of individual thunderstorms that seem to be hanging around in complete disconnect. Tropical depressions eventually cause enough havoc or atmospheric disturbance above their waters, however, to enter the next hurricane development stage as tropical storms.
Tropical Storm Stage:
Tropical storms have potential to development within twelve hours of tropical depression development.
Hurricane Stage:
Hurricanes have the potential to develop within twelve hours of tropical storm formation. Hurricanes can last for a good two to three weeks and reach speeds of 200 miles per hour.
It should be noted that tropical depression stages do not always lead to tropical storms. Nor do tropical storms always lead to hurricanes. Whether or not hurricane stages develop from one to the other depends on several factors but mostly they depend on oceanic and atmospheric conditions.
