Definition

1. Noun:
   • A severe tropical cyclone characterized by extremely strong winds and heavy rain, typically forming over warm ocean waters. In meteorology, a hurricane is defined as having sustained winds of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h) or greater, which corresponds to Category 1 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale (or Force 12 on the Beaufort scale).

Usage

• Noun:
  • The primary use is to describe a specific, powerful type of storm system.
  • It is used as a countable noun (e.g., a hurricane, the hurricane, hurricanes).
  • Hurricane is the term used for such storms in the Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Similar storms in other regions are called typhoons or cyclones.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The hurricane caused widespread damage along the coast.
  • Residents were ordered to evacuate before the hurricane made landfall.
  • The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was exceptionally active.

Advanced Usage

• "The eye of the hurricane": The calm center of a hurricane, surrounded by the most intense winds and rain. This phrase is also used metaphorically to describe a point of calm in the middle of a chaotic situation.
  • We are currently in the eye of the hurricane; the worst of the storm will return soon.
• "Hurricane-force winds": Winds that meet or exceed the minimum speed (74 mph/119 km/h) to be classified as a hurricane, even if they are not part of a tropical cyclone system.
  • The extratropical storm produced hurricane-force winds across the region.

Variants and Related Words

• Hurricane warning (noun phrase): An official announcement that hurricane conditions are expected in a specified area.
• Hurricane watch (noun phrase): An official announcement that hurricane conditions are possible in a specified area.
• Hurricane season (noun phrase): The period of the year when hurricanes are most likely to occur in a particular region (e.g., Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30).
• Hurricaned (adjective, rare/poetic): Affected or struck by a hurricane.
  • The hurricaned coast took years to recover.

Synonyms

• Cyclone: A general term for a large-scale, low-pressure weather system with inward-spiraling winds. In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, a severe tropical cyclone is equivalent to a hurricane.
• Typhoon: The term for a hurricane that occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• Tropical storm: A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39–73 mph (63–118 km/h), which is less intense than a hurricane.

Related Phrases

• To weather the hurricane: To survive a hurricane or, metaphorically, to endure a very difficult period.
  • The small community banded together to weather the hurricane.
• A hurricane of protest/criticism: A metaphor describing an intense and forceful outburst.
  • The new policy sparked a hurricane of criticism from the public.

Noun

1. a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving a 73-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)