Continuing to organize and develop, tropical storms will soon produce sustained winds of 74mph and generally much higher speeds. When this occurs, a tropical storm is raised to a hurricane. On the satellite, the appearance of the hurricane is pronounced – clouds move clearly in a circular way, and in stronger hurricanes, it takes on a saw-like appearance with a circular area in the center and a circular area without calm winds called “eyes”. The threat of a hurricane is threefold: wind, rain and storm surge. Winds in hurricanes are strong enough in most cases to cause significant structural damage, especially in less robust structures such as terraces, awnings, roofs and mobile homes. Lathe activity becomes much more common in the strongest rain bands, which only exacerbates the damage. Rain from hurricanes can be one foot or more in total, depending on the speed at which the hurricane itself is moving. Perhaps the most dangerous is the storm surge. The hurricane’s strong winds blow across the sea surface, creating huge waves that push water inland. The combination of the strength of the water pushed to shore with strong winds will tear down coastal structures and make these areas some of the most dangerous places for a hurricane.
