Did you know this about hurricanes?

Florence is definitely shaping up to be a devastating storm. Just like we saw with Harvey last year, major rainfall inundated areas for weeks and the cleanup (you could argue) is still happening in some areas.

What makes up a hurricane?
It's basically a large cluster of thunderstorms spinning around a centralized area, with significant winds (over 74 mph) - anything less is NOT a hurricane.

Where do they get their energy?
Hurricanes get their power from the warm, ocean water. In most cases, the water temperatures are above 80°. Look at the map below. Water temperatures are 85° where Florence is currently located.

When does hurricane season peak?
September 10th is usually considered the peak of the season

What ways can hurricanes be measured before they reach land?
Hurricane hunters fly aircraft and criss cross through the eye of the storm. They take many different measurements (not the least of which is air pressure) to try to find the lowest pressure in the eye of the storm. The lower the pressure, the higher the wind speeds.

Of course, there are satellites too. Take a look at the image below. The deep red colors surrounding Florence's eye indicate cloud temperatures of -70 to -80°C. Those are powerful thunderstorms swirling around the eye. So the intensity of hurricanes are measured from space too.

Meteorologists also rely on buoy data and dropsondes to get measures of hurricanes. The image below shows a dropsonde. It's measuring humidity and temperature, and then the GPS on board gives indication on wind information.

Which part of the hurricane is the worst?
It's usually the right side of the hurricane. The combination of forward movement with the wind and storm surge makes it the most dangerous area to be in. But anywhere near the eye is always a bad place to be. That's where the strongest winds are located.

What is storm surge?
The strong winds that occur around the hurricane push water levels to very extreme heights, flooding nearly everything in their path. While some waves can be 25-30 feet tall, most storm surge is lower than that. In the case of Florence, storm surge will likely be 8-12 feet.

Can tornadoes happen with landfalling hurricanes?
Yes. In fact, they are common, but most of the time they are very brief. Many of them happen on the right side of the eye because of how the hurricanes rotate.