A hurricane is a powerful whirling storm that measures 200 to 300 miles (320 to 480 kilometers) in diameter. Near the eye (center) of the hurricane winds can blow at speeds up to 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or more. Sometimes death and destruction have been caused by hurricanes. Hurricanes are made from easterly waves.  Around the eye, hurricane winds are very stong. The eye is a calm area in the center of the hurricane. The eye of a hurricane measures about 20 miles (32 kilometers) in diameter and has few winds or clouds. Wall clouds (storm clouds) surround the the eye. The heaviest rains and strongest winds occur around the eye.
    An area of low air pressure that forms over oceans in tropical regions in the eastern North Pacific Ocean or the North Atlantic Ocean is called a hurricane.  In the Western Pacific Ocean these stong storms are called  Typhoons; in the Indian Ocean it is called a Cyclone. In the United States, the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico are where storms most occur.  From June to November, hurricanes most occur in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. In the North Atlantic and North Pacific about 6 to 8  hurricanes form each year.  In the Atlantic, as many as 15 have occurred in a single year.