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Below are definitions of important hurricane terms.

• atmospheric pressure: the force exerted by air on its surroundings
• barrier beach: a strip of sand running along a coast, which protects the mainland from waves and erosion
• Beaufort scale: a way to measure wind strength
• coastal flooding: seashore flooding caused by high tides usually brought about by storms
• condensation: the process by which water vapor turns into liquid water
• cyclone: a violent, spiraling tropical storm with fierce rotating winds and a calm central eye; usually develops over warm tropical seas; these storms are known as cyclones in the Indian Ocean
• doldrums: periods of calm winds and light breezes in the tropics
• dry line: the boundary where winds from the Gulf of Mexico and Canada meet and clash
• eye: calm column of low-pressure air in the center of a hurricane
• hurricane: a violent, spiraling tropical storm with fierce rotating winds and a calm central eye; usually develops over warm tropical seas; these storms are known as hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, or west of the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean
• hurricane watch: issued as a warning sign to people while the hurricane is still at sea; intended to tell people of the hurricane risk and possibility of disaster
• hurricane warning: issued when the hurricane heads toward land, usually 24 hours before time of impact; intended as an evacuation signal
• rooster tails: long, thin clouds curving up from the horizon that tell where the hurricane is coming from
• storm surge: a rise in sea level along the coast as a result of high storm winds
• tropical storm: an ocean storm that forms in the tropics
• tropics: the very warm, humid region lying north and south of the equator; the sun’s rays are strongest here
• typhoon: a violent, spiraling tropical storm with fierce rotating winds and a calm central eye; usually develops over warm tropical seas; these storms are known as typhoons east of the international dateline
• wall clouds: heavy clouds that form around the eye of a hurricane
• willy-willies: the Australian nickname for cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes

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