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Most hurricanes form in the North West Pacific Ocean, the South Pacific and the Indian Oceans, and the Mid Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane in the "Atlantic starts as an area of storm mvoing off the west coast of Africa. Converging winds cause the storm to rotate. the storms feeds off the warm Atlantic and the violent seas it has created. Water vapour rises rapidly and starts to spin, causing an increase in the speed of the wind. Usually, a storm would then increase in intensity and travel west-north-west till it reaches land. Due to the absence of the warm ocean and the elevation of the hard ground, the storm weakens rapidly from this point. It finally stops as a mass of heavy rain hundreds of miles inland. Sometimes, a storm doesn't make it all the way to land. High winds in the upper atmosphere generally blow north east and can cause the storm to shear off or fall apaprt. The storm will then turn northeast and dissipate completely in the Atlantic. This is known as a wind shear. Lastly, hurricanes generally require warm waters of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit to develop. Back (Characteristics) | Next (Causes and Effects) |