Things everybody “knows” about hurricanes

MythHurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are different kinds of storm.

FactHurricanes and typhoons are the same weather phenomenon: tropical cyclones. The only difference is where the storm happens. NOAA Ocean Service: Hurricane or typhoon? In the North Atlantic, central North Pacific and eastern North Pacific, the word is hurricane. In the north-west Pacific it’s typhoon. In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, it’s simply tropical cyclone. NOAA Ocean Service: Hurricane or typhoon?

MythThe category tells you how dangerous a hurricane will be.

FactThe scale does not take into account other deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding and tornadoes. National Hurricane Center: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Categories only tell part of the story: a tropical storm or a Category 1 or 2 hurricane can cause as much overall damage as a major hurricane. NOAA Education: Hurricanes

MythThe wind is the most dangerous part.

FactWater, not wind, is the biggest threat: historically, well over half of direct deaths from hurricanes landing in the US have come from water. NOAA Education: Hurricanes The National Hurricane Center says storm surge is currently the leading cause of deaths from hurricanes. National Hurricane Center: Storm surge overview

MythOnce a hurricane reaches land, the danger is over.

FactTropical cyclones often bring torrential rain of more than 6 inches, and flooding is the major threat for people living inland. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane hazards Winds can stay above hurricane strength well inland: in 2004 Hurricane Charley did major damage across central Florida, with gusts of more than 100 mph. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane hazards Rarely, the “brown ocean effect” lets a storm keep or even gain strength inland. The ground must be very warm and very wet, so the land mimics the sea. Met Office: Brown ocean effect

MythIf the storm is far away, the beach is fine.

FactHurricanes can cause dangerous rip currents far from the storm. In 2008 Hurricane Bertha was more than 1,000 miles offshore, yet its rip currents led to 1,500 lifeguard rescues in Ocean City, Maryland, in a week. National Hurricane Center: Hurricane hazards

MythHurricanes only happen between June and November.

FactHurricanes can, and have, happened outside the official season. NOAA Ocean Service: What is a hurricane? In the north-west Pacific, tropical cyclones happen all year round; the main season is July to November. Met Office: Location of tropical cyclones

MythA hurricane could form right next to the UK.

FactHurricanes can’t form at the UK’s latitude: they need much warmer seas than those near the UK. Met Office: What are hurricanes? The UK is sometimes hit by storms that used to be hurricanes, such as ex-Hurricane Ophelia in 2017. Met Office: What are hurricanes?

MythStorms are named after real people.

FactTropical cyclones are not named after individuals. New names should be short, easy to say and mean the right thing in different languages. WMO: Tropical cyclone naming Can you have a storm named after you? The National Hurricane Center says it doesn’t control the naming of tropical storms: the lists come from a World Meteorological Organization committee. National Hurricane Center: FAQ

MythYou could stop a hurricane with a bomb.

FactPeople have suggested “seeding” hurricanes with chemicals, or even using nuclear weapons. NOAA says these ideas vastly underestimate the energy the storms release, and weakening them would mean the oceans keep more heat. NOAA JetStream: Tropical cyclone introduction

MythThe closer to the equator, the more hurricanes.

FactWith only the rarest exceptions, these storms don’t form within 5° latitude of the equator, because the Coriolis force that makes them spin is too weak there. NOAA JetStream: Tropical cyclone introduction

MythHurricanes weaken over land because of friction.

FactNOAA says that once the eye moves over land the storm weakens rapidly, not because of friction, but because it has lost the moisture and heat the ocean provided. NOAA JetStream: Tropical cyclone introduction

MythHurricanes are no use to anybody.

FactTropical cyclones move heat from the ocean to the upper atmosphere, where winds carry it towards the poles. This keeps the polar regions from being as cold as they could be, and the tropics a bit cooler. NOAA JetStream: Tropical cyclone introduction