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not a hurricane until the wind speed reaches 74 m.p.h.
[[Image:Katrina.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hurricane Katrina approaching [[New Orleans]].]]
[[Image:Katrina.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hurricane Katrina approaching [[New Orleans]].]]
A '''hurricane''' is a powerful, rotating [[storm]] that begins over a warm [[ocean]]. Hurricanes form in [[water]]s near the [[equator]], and then they move north. Hurricane [[wind]]s swirl about the [[eye]], a calm area in the center of the storm. The band of tall, dark clouds surrounding the eye is called the eyewall. The eye is usually 10 to 40 miles in diameter and is free of [[rain]] and large [[cloud]]s. In the eyewall, large changes in [[pressure]] create the hurricane's strongest winds. These winds can reach nearly 200 mph. Damaging winds may extend 250 miles from the eye.
A '''tropical cyclone''' is a powerful, rotating [[storm]] that begins over a warm [[ocean]]. Tropical cyclones form in [[water]]s near the [[equator]], and then they move north. The term '''hurricane''' denotes a tropical cyclone whose maximum sustained wind speed is at least 74 miles per hour.
Hurricane [[wind]]s swirl about the [[eye]], a calm area in the center of the storm. The band of tall, dark clouds surrounding the eye is called the eyewall. The eye is usually 10 to 40 miles in diameter and is free of [[rain]] and large [[cloud]]s. In the eyewall, large changes in [[pressure]] create the hurricane's strongest winds. These winds can reach nearly 200 mph. Damaging winds may extend 250 miles from the eye.
Hurricanes are referred to by different labels, depending on where they occur. They are called hurricanes when they happen over the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Such storms are known as [[typhoon]]s if they occur in the Pacific Ocean, west of the [[International Date Line]]; and cyclones if originating in the Indian Ocean.
Hurricanes are referred to by different labels, depending on where they occur. They are called hurricanes when they happen over the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Such storms are known as [[typhoon]]s if they occur in the Pacific Ocean, west of the [[International Date Line]]; and cyclones if originating in the Indian Ocean.