1001 Space Earth Earth Rocks and Minerals Landscape Sea Weather and Climate Natural Disasters Resources Nature History Human World Science and Technology

Choose a Page:Where are extinct volcanoes found?What makes an avalanche so deadly?What happens inside a volcano?What causes landslides?What causes an earthquake?Are some volcanoes more dangerous ...What is a caldera?How does wildfire spread?What is a waterspout?Can disasters be predicted?Where do volcanoes happen most?*Is a typhoon the same thing as a h...*Is a twister like a hurricane? Is a typhoon the same thing as a hurricane? Hurricanes form over tropical seas. As an intense area of low pressure develops, the surrounding air spirals inward and upward, creating winds of up to 186 mph (300 kph) in the spiral. The whole system is blown by the prevailing winds, only dispersing when it reaches land. A hurricane has different names in different parts of the world. In the western Pacific it is called a typhoon, in the Indian Ocean a cyclone, and around Australia a willy-willy. At the very centre of the hurricane's turbulent, spiralling winds there is a calm area called the 'eye of the storm'. This is surrounded by the eye wall, with the hurricane's highest-velocity winds.   Previous: Back Book: 1001 Section: Earth Chapter: Natural Disasters