tropical cyclone

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Diagram showing the anatomy of a tropical cyclone with a top view and a vertical cross section. The top view highlights the cyclone's spiral shape with a central eye and surrounding eyewall. The cross section illustrates the eye, eyewall, spiral rainbands, outflow cloud shields, and airflow patterns including spiraling winds, rotation, and descending air.

Five hands on a concrete wall; above a torn edge are scenes of outdoor dining, floodwater, and a crowded street; text reads “Who gets to move on?”

Satellite image showing three labeled hurricanes—Florence, Isaac, and Helene—across the Atlantic Ocean in September 2018.

Diagram showing the development and progression of a North Atlantic hurricane, from tropical disturbance near Africa, through tropical depression and storm stages, to hurricane status, then transitioning to extratropical cyclone as it moves toward Europe and North America, with labeled arrows indicating wind patterns and ocean currents.

Hurricane Dennis

Infographic comparing the storm surge during hurricanes Ian, Irma, and Katrina

Illustration of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, showing five categories ranked by increasing wind speed and damage: Category 1 (74-95 mph) with minor damage, up to Category 5 (157 mph or higher) with near-total destruction. Each category is color-coded and includes simple images of houses and trees showing escalating storm damage.

Count of retired hurricane names by year between 1954 and 2024.

Infographic titled The ABCs of retired hurricane names, explaining how hurricane names are chosen and retired, with facts such as the number of retired names, notable examples like Arlene and Katrina, and trivia about naming conventions, all overlaid on a satellite image of a hurricane.

At a Glance

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tropical cyclone summary

tropical cyclone: Media

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Videos

Five hands on a concrete wall; above a torn edge are scenes of outdoor dining, floodwater, and a crowded street; text reads “Who gets to move on?”

Hurricane Katrina 20 Years Later: Who Gets to Move On?

August 29, 2005: Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Satellite image showing three labeled hurricanes—Florence, Isaac, and Helene—across the Atlantic Ocean in September 2018.

How Do Hurricanes Form?

We have questions about hurricane season. Britannica editor John Rafferty has answers.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

3D cross-sectional illustration of a hurricane over ocean, showing cloud bands and vertical structure of storm systems.

How do cyclones form?

Cyclones look like huge disks of clouds.

Video: Created and produced by QA International. © QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. www.qa-international.com

Satellite image of a large hurricane with a defined eye over the Gulf of Mexico, approaching the U.S. Gulf Coast.

What Is a Hurricane?

A hurricane is essentially a large tropical storm.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Satellite view of a rotating hurricane, showing swirling cloud bands and a defined central eye.

What does the inside of a hurricane look like?

Go inside the eye of the storm.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A tornado touches down on flat land beneath a dark storm cloud, with an orange-lit sky in the background.

How to understand tornadoes, thunderstorms, and hurricanes

Why do these storms start popping up in summer?

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

Diagram showing the anatomy of a tropical cyclone with a top view and a vertical cross section. The top view highlights the cyclone's spiral shape with a central eye and surrounding eyewall. The cross section illustrates the eye, eyewall, spiral rainbands, outflow cloud shields, and airflow patterns including spiraling winds, rotation, and descending air.

tropical cyclone

Infographic showing the anatomy of a tropical cyclone.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Typhoon Odessa

Typhoon Odessa

Typhoon Odessa in the western North Pacific Ocean, photographed from the U.S. space...

NASA

Diagram showing the development and progression of a North Atlantic hurricane, from tropical disturbance near Africa, through tropical depression and storm stages, to hurricane status, then transitioning to extratropical cyclone as it moves toward Europe and North America, with labeled arrows indicating wind patterns and ocean currents.

Life cycle of a North Atlantic hurricane

Infographic showing the life cycle of a North Atlantic hurricane.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Hurricane Dennis

Hurricane Dennis

Strong winds from Hurricane Dennis, which struck Florida in June 2005.

© Hemera/Thinkstock

Infographic comparing the storm surge during hurricanes Ian, Irma, and Katrina

Storm surge

A graphic comparing the heights of the water driven inland by Hurricane Ian (2022),...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Yodit Tesfu

Illustration of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, showing five categories ranked by increasing wind speed and damage: Category 1 (74-95 mph) with minor damage, up to Category 5 (157 mph or higher) with near-total destruction. Each category is color-coded and includes simple images of houses and trees showing escalating storm damage.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale

First adopted in 1975, the scale is used to classify tropical cyclones occurring...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Infographic titled The ABCs of retired hurricane names, explaining how hurricane names are chosen and retired, with facts such as the number of retired names, notable examples like Arlene and Katrina, and trivia about naming conventions, all overlaid on a satellite image of a hurricane.

Hurricane-name retirement

Removing the name of a hurricane from a storm list is typically done when a named...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

World map showing the tracks and frequency of tropical cyclones and tropical storms.

Tracks and frequency of tropical cyclones and tropical storms

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Map tracing the path of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 from the Caribbean to its landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The storm's track is marked with points indicating its status and wind speeds at various dates, with colored areas showing regions of heavy rainfall and snowfall in the northeastern United States. An inset map illustrates Sandy's route in relation to a blocking high-pressure system and cold air over North America.

Superstorm Sandy

The evolution of Superstorm Sandy, from its origin as a tropical depression in the...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Earth's Western Hemisphere

Earth's Western Hemisphere

A view of Earth's Western Hemisphere from space showing Hurricane Linda approaching...

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Satellite image of Super Typhoon Chaba over the western Pacific Ocean, showing a large swirling cloud system with a distinct eye near the center. Parts of East Asia and island chains are visible.

“Supertyphoon” Chaba

“Supertyphoon” Chaba (right) approaching Japan and Typhoon Aere (left) hitting Taiwan,...

NOAA

Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene

A satellite image of Hurricane Helene just before it made landfall in northwestern...

NASA Worldview

Aerial view of flooded and devastated village on Bhola Island, with damaged homes, scattered debris, and fallen palm trees after the 1970 cyclone in East Pakistan.

flooding on Bhola Island

Aerial view of the flooding on Bhola Island after the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone,...

Mondadori—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Hurricane Hyacinth

Hurricane Hyacinth

The well-defined eye and the rain bands of Hurricane Hyacinth about 805 kilometres...

Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; photograph, AP/Wide World Photos

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike

A beachfront home among debris in Gilchrist, Texas, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico,...

Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA News Photo

View from inside Hurricane Katrina's eye wall, showing a ring of dense, towering white clouds with blue sky visible above the storm.

From a research aircraft within the eye of Hurricane Katrina, the surrounding eyewall...

NOAA

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina overlaying a thermal display of sea surface...

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Satellite image of Hurricane Katrina as a large, well-defined spiral with a clear eye over the Gulf of Mexico, approaching the southern United States coastline.

Hurricane Katrina

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image of Hurricane Katrina,...

NOAA

Black and white satellite image showing the swirling cloud pattern of the Bhola cyclone over the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, with latitude and longitude grid lines overlaying the region.

Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone

Satellite image of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta cyclone, November 12, 1970.

NOAA

Satellite view of Hurricane Hugo, showing a large, swirling white cloud mass with a distinct eye approaching the South Carolina coast near Charleston.

Satellite image of a hurricane, North Atlantic Ocean

A digitally enhanced satellite image of a hurricane in the western North Atlantic...

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce

Map showing the storm track of the Galveston hurricane of 1900, beginning as a tropical storm near Cuba, strengthening as it moves northwest across the Gulf of Mexico, making landfall at Galveston, Texas, and continuing northeast through the central United States before dissipating over the northern Atlantic. Key dates, hurricane categories, and wind speeds are marked along the path.

Galveston hurricane of 1900

Path of the Galveston hurricane of 1900, one of the deadliest natural disasters in...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Infographic showing Hurricane Katrina's path from its formation over the Bahamas to landfall in Florida and Louisiana, with a curved track across the southeastern U.S. It highlights nearly 1,400 lives lost, about $125 billion in damages, 62 tornadoes in 8 states, and a maximum storm surge of 26 to 28 feet in Mississippi. Flooded areas of New Orleans and storm categories at each location are also illustrated.

Hurricane Katrina in numbers

Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23, 2005, and in less than a week grew from a...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Christine McCabe and Kenny Chmielewski

Interactives

Count of retired hurricane names by year between 1954 and 2024.

Count of retired hurricane names by year between 1954 and 2024.

The names of very intense, damaging, or otherwise newsworthy storms are retired,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Number of hurricane days and named storm days, 1950–2024

Number of hurricane days and named storm days, 1950–2024

Since 1950, the number of days in the North Atlantic basin with at least one named...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), 1950–2024

Accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), 1950–2024

One measure of the total wind energy produced by named storms during a hurricane...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Bar chart titled Deadliest Hurricanes in the United States shows hurricane names, years, and death tolls, with color-coded bars for wind categories from 1 to 5. Galveston Hurricane of 1900 ranks highest.

Deadliest hurricanes in the United States (North Atlantic basin), 1875–2026

The deadliest hurricanes to make landfall the United States have occurred primarily...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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