By Melissa R.
There are many parts to a hurricane. All of these parts contribute to how
a hurricane works and forms. Some are more important than others, and some you
should know. There are four basic parts to a hurricane that you should indeed
know to better understand the monstrous storm called; the hurricane.
The
first of the hurricane you should know about is the eye. The eye is located at the center of the hurricane. It is usually 20
miles long. The eye is where the air sinks and there are light winds. It is the
calmest part of the hurricane free of clouds and precipitation. The eye is the
calmest part of the hurricane because the strong surface winds are meeting in
the center never reach the exact center of the storm. Instead they form a
cylinder of calm air.
Moving
out from the eye you come to the eye wall. The eye wall is about 15
miles wide. The winds are the fastest and the most violent winds throughout the
whole hurricane. The eye wall is a ring of thunderstorms that produce heavy
rains and contribute greatly to the outrageous winds. This is the most
destructive part of the storm.
Rain bands are
surrounding the eye wall. They are curved bands of clouds that move away in a
spiral movement. They are bands of thunderstorms that circulate outward from
the eye. These rain bands are capable of producing large amounts of rain and
wind at all time. One – half to two – thirds of the strength comes from the eye
wall. The rain bands are also part of the evaporation and condensation cycle
that “feeds” the hurricane.
The last
main part of a hurricane is the rain shields. Rain shields
are completely solid or nearly solid areas of rain. The rain becomes much
heavier as you become closer to the eye. The wind is strong here also but keeps
becoming stronger as you move inward. During a hurricane this is the part where
most of the rain comes from.
