Hurricanes can unleash devastating winds, flooding, and storm surges, but how does a hurricane form? What causes hurricanes?

Understanding hurricane formation helps us better prepare for these powerful storms and the risks they bring. In this guide, we’ll break down the science behind what conditions are necessary for a hurricane to form, the stages of development, and why warm ocean waters are the fuel behind these massive systems.

• How Do Hurricanes Form?
• Where Do Hurricanes Form?
• Why Do Hurricanes Happen?

How Do Hurricanes Form?

Hurricanes begin as clusters of thunderstorms over warm ocean waters. To transform into a tropical system, five key ingredients must align:

• Warm ocean water: Ocean surface temperatures of at least 80°F provide the energy.
• Moist air: High humidity in the lower and middle atmosphere feeds storm growth.
• Converging winds: Winds from different directions push air upward.
• Low wind shear: Minimal changes in wind speed or direction allow storms to organize.
• Earth’s rotation: The Coriolis effect helps storms spin into circulation.

When these factors work together, a disturbance can grow into a tropical cyclone.

Stages Of A Hurricane

Meteorologists recognize a hurricane’s development in four main stages:

1. Tropical Disturbance: A cluster of thunderstorms forms over warm seas.
2. Tropical Depression: Winds organize, reaching up to 38 mph.
3. Tropical Storm: With winds from 39–73 mph, the system earns a name.
4. Hurricane: Winds exceed 74 mph, and the center of the storm (eye) and eyewall become distinct.

The intensity of a hurricane is measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which ranges from Category 1 (minimal damage) to Category 5 (catastrophic impacts).

Hurricanes bring heavy rainfall, but how much rain is a lot of rain outside of hurricanes? Learn about that in our blog!

Where Do Hurricanes Form?

Most hurricanes form over warm tropical oceans in the Western Hemisphere (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf, and in the eastern and central North Pacific east of the date line). Many Atlantic systems originate in the Main Development Region between northwest Africa and the Caribbean, where long fetches of warm water and steady trade winds help disturbances grow. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, when ocean warmth and humidity peak.

Why Do Hurricanes Happen?

Hurricanes happen because warm oceans transfer energy to the atmosphere. As moist air rises and condenses, it releases heat that lowers surface pressure and accelerates inflow, which pulls in more warm, moist air. The storm becomes a self-sustaining heat engine as long as it stays over warm water. Once it moves over land or cooler water, the energy source fades and the storm decays.

Learn how to cancel an event due to severe weather like a hurricane.

Get Accurate Local Rain Forecasts And Wind Readings With The Tempest Weather System

Knowing how a hurricane forms is the first step to staying safe. A personal weather station adds context by showing what is happening at your exact location, from rising winds to intense rainbands. 

The Tempest Weather System delivers real-time measurements and AI-enhanced forecasts tailored to your home, so you can compare local readings with official severe weather alerts, time yard prep between bands, and track post-landfall changes as a storm weakens inland. Ready to turn insight into action for the next tropical threat? Shop the Tempest Weather System today!

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Many people love to look at the clouds and imagine seeing shapes of people, creatures of all kinds, and other familiar stuff. But what exactly are we seeing? How do clouds form, and what are clouds made of?

When you understand how clouds form and what contributes to their development, you gain valuable insight into changing weather patterns. This guide explains where clouds come from, why they form, and what they reveal about the atmosphere.

• Where Do Clouds Come From?
• What Are Clouds Made Of?
• How Are Clouds Formed?
• Why Do Clouds Form?

Where Do Clouds Come From?

Clouds originate in the water cycle. The sun heats oceans, lakes, rivers, and soil, causing moisture to evaporate. That invisible water vapor mixes into rising air, cools with altitude, and begins to condense into droplets. This is when clouds form.

Air rises in several ways:

• Warm ground heats the air above it, causing it to lift.
• Winds push moist air up mountains.
• Cool, dense air forces warm air upward when the two meet.

In each case, rising air cools, leading to cloud formation. These processes happen constantly at different levels of the atmosphere.

What Are Clouds Made Of?

Clouds are made of billions of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air. They are visible because the moisture condenses into liquid or solid form, unlike invisible water vapor.

Temperature and altitude determine composition. In higher, colder layers, clouds often contain ice crystals, while lower clouds hold mostly liquid droplets. Meteorologists classify many cloud types by altitude: low, middle, and high.

Now that you know clouds aren’t made of gas, explore other weather facts for kids in our blog.

How Are Clouds Formed?

The key to understanding how clouds are formed lies in condensation. As moist air rises and cools, water vapor changes into liquid droplets or ice crystals. This phase change creates the visible masses we see as clouds.

Cloud names hint at their behavior:

• Clouds with “stratus” in their name, like nimbostratus, often bring steady, widespread rain.
• Clouds with “cumulus” in their name, like cumulonimbus, are linked to scattered showers and thunderstorms.

Recognizing these patterns helps you track how clouds develop throughout the day and predict shifts in the weather.

Why Do Clouds Form?

Clouds form when three ingredients come together: moisture, rising air, and cooling temperatures. Heat from the sun, terrain, or weather fronts pushes air upward until it cools enough for condensation to begin. This is why cloud formation often leads to rain, storms, or other changes in weather.

Observing which layers cloud up first can reveal early signs of shifting atmospheric conditions and help you better anticipate rainfall.

Get Accurate Local Rain Forecasts With The Tempest Weather System

Understanding where clouds come from and why clouds form is the first step. Pair that knowledge with precise, real-time weather data for smarter decisions.

The Tempest Weather System tracks air temperature, pressure, moisture, wind, and rainfall directly from your backyard. With AI-powered Nearcast technology, Tempest delivers hyper-local forecasts tailored to your exact location.

Watch how pressure drops and cloud cover builds as storms approach, and confirm your forecast with Tempest’s live updates. Combine weather readings from the Tempest Weather System with a fun hands-on weather activity to help kids learn more about how the world works!

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Most people think of air pressure as something that’s important for bike and car tires, but it also impacts weather and even animal behavior. But what is atmospheric pressure?

The air around us is made up of tiny molecules that are constantly moving, and air pressure is the force pushing against the molecules. In this guide, you will learn how atmospheric pressure is measured, how it affects weather, and what normal atmospheric pressure is.

• What Is Air Pressure?
• How Is Air Pressure Measured?
• How Does Atmospheric Pressure Affect Weather?
• What Is Normal Atmospheric Pressure?

Get the Tempest Weather System, an all-in-one weather station that sends local barometric pressure readings straight to your phone or smart home.

What Is Air Pressure?

Air pressure, also called atmospheric or barometric pressure, is the force of the air in the atmosphere pushing on everything it touches, so wherever you are standing, the air in the atmosphere is pushing down on you. 

When you are at the lowest level of our atmosphere, also known as sea level, the air is pushing down on you with an average force of 1,013.2 millibars. As you go higher into the atmosphere, there is less atmospheric pressure because there are fewer molecules of air above your head, and the force of the air pushing down on you is less.

How Is Air Pressure Measured?

Meteorologists use a barometer to measure the amount of atmospheric pressure. That is why you may see or hear meteorologists refer to atmospheric pressure as barometric pressure.

Barometers report in a few common units:

• mb or mbar: Millibars
• hPa: if you’ve wondered, “What is hPa?” it’s shorthand for the hectopascal unit, which is numerically the same as millibars (e.g., 1,013.2 mb = 1,013.2 hPa).
• inHg: inches of mercury, common in the United States
• psi: pounds per square inch.

Readings change with altitude and weather systems, so stations are adjusted (or “reduced”) to air pressure at sea level to make comparisons meaningful. Many apps and stations also smooth short-term wiggles so you can see the air pressure trend at a glance.

Want to get hands-on with instruments? Explore our guide to types of weather instruments to see how pros and hobbyists measure weather phenomena.

How Does Atmospheric Pressure Affect Weather?

Atmospheric pressure affects weather almost everywhere, almost all the time. Air is constantly moving from higher pressure toward lower pressure, and that movement drives winds and helps shape clouds and storms.

High pressure usually means air is sinking and drying out. Skies tend to be sunnier, winds lighter, and temperatures can be more extreme at night. So what is high air pressure? As a rule of thumb, readings above 1013.2 mb are often considered “high” at sea level.

Low pressure is typically associated with rising air, cloud formation, and a higher chance of precipitation. What is considered low air pressure? Anything below 1,013.2 mb is a common benchmark for “low,” with deeper lows often tied to stronger storm systems.

Pressure trends add extra context: a rapidly falling barometer can signal approaching unsettled weather; rising pressure often follows a front, bringing clearing conditions.

For a deeper dive into weather pattern basics, see our cold vs. warm fronts guide. Or learn how barometric pressure affects fish behavior.

What Is Normal Atmospheric Pressure?

At sea level, “normal” or standard pressure is defined as 1,013.2 mb, a value used as a reference point for weather maps and instrument calibration. That said, what feels “normal” in your location varies with altitude, season, and regional climate. For instance, mountainous sites have lower station pressure simply because there’s less atmosphere above them. To compare places, meteorologists convert values to atmospheric pressure at sea level.

You might also see the phrase normal barometric pressure used interchangeably—same concept, different wording.

What Is The Atmospheric Pressure At Sea Level?

The internationally recognized value is 1,013.2 millibars, which equals 1,013.2 hPa, 29.92 inHg, or about 14.7 psi. This standard gives forecasters a baseline for comparing observations, maps, and model output across regions.

Measure Atmospheric Pressure Accurately With The Tempest Weather System

Understanding pressure helps you interpret any forecast, and a precise, hyper‑local pressure sensor makes that understanding practical. The Tempest Weather System continuously measures pressure, temperature, wind, and more, and then uses AI‑powered Nearcast Technology to translate that data into personalized, hyper‑local weather forecasts you can trust for planning the day, a fishing trip, or severe‑weather awareness.

Ready to make better, faster weather decisions? Shop the Tempest Home Weather System!

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Easily creating wind speeds of up to 200+ mph, tornadoes are a well known terrifying yet mesmerizing force of nature. You’ve probably seen these monstrous, swirling giants tearing through the landscape in movies or on the news, but have you ever wondered how they actually form? Well, hold onto your hats (literally), because we’re about to break it down for you.

THE CLASH OF THE TITANS
Tornadoes don’t just pop out of thin air; they’re the result of a meteorological showdown. Imagine warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico colliding with cold, dry air from the north. This collision is like the ultimate weather showdown, and it’s the first ingredient in our tornado recipe. You may have heard of the infamous Tornado Alley known for producing conditions well-suited for tornado formation. 

THE SUPERCELL DRAMA
Enter the supercell, a rotating thunderstorm that’s like the superstar of tornado formation. Within the supercell a horizontal spinning tube, known as a mesocyclone, starts to form. Think of it like a cosmic kitchen mixer, but on a massive scale.

THE UPDRAFT ELEVATOR 
Now, let’s talk updrafts. These invisible elevators within the supercell lift warm, moist air upward. As this air rises, it starts spinning horizontally, thanks to the mesocyclone’s influence. It’s like a weather blender in action.

ENTER THE TORNADO 
Here’s the magic moment: when the spinning warm air gets a vertical push, a tornado is born. The air twists upward, forming a funnel that extends from the thunderstorm cloud down to the ground. It’s like a tornado’s grand entrance, and it’s as spectacular as it sounds.

TORNADOES OF ALL SIZES
Remember, not all supercells spawn tornadoes, and tornadoes come in all shapes and sizes. From tiny, weak twisters to massive, destructive monsters, nature’s got a tornado for every occasion.

The three largest tornadoes in recorded history, based on their width or path length, are:

The Tri-State Tornado (1925): This tornado holds the record for the longest path length in recorded history. On March 18, 1925, it tore through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, traveling a staggering distance of approximately 219 miles (352 kilometers). It also ranks as one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history, with a death toll of at least 695 people.

The Hallam, Nebraska Tornado (2004): This tornado holds the record for the widest tornado on record. It struck Hallam, Nebraska, on May 22, 2004, with a width of nearly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). Fortunately, it caused relatively minor injuries and no fatalities due to the sparse population of the area.
The El Reno Tornado (2013): On May 31, 2013, a massive EF5 tornado struck near El Reno, Oklahoma. While it had a path length of approximately 16.2 miles (26 kilometers), it had a width of nearly 2.6 miles (4.2 kilometers) at its peak. Tragically, this tornado claimed the lives of several storm chasers, including well-known meteorologist Tim Samaras.

These tornadoes serve as stark reminders of the destructive power of nature and the importance of preparedness and safety measures in tornado-prone regions.

So, in a nutshell, tornadoes form when warm, moist air collides with cold, dry air, creating a supercell thunderstorm. Within that supercell, a spinning mesocyclone forms, and when a rising updraft turns vertical, you get a tornado. It’s like Mother Nature’s wild rollercoaster ride.
Remember, tornadoes are no joke. They can be extremely dangerous, so if you ever find yourself in their path, seek shelter and stay safe. But for now, you’ve got the inside scoop on how these twisting terrors come to be. Stay curious, weather enthusiasts, and keep an eye on the skies!

TORNADO SAFETY: WATCH VERUS WARNING

A tornado watch and a tornado warning are two distinct alerts issued by meteorological agencies to inform the public about the potential for tornadoes, but they have different meanings and implications:

TORNADO WATCH: A tornado watch is a statement issued by meteorological agencies (like the National Weather Service in the United States) when conditions are conducive to the development of tornadoes. It means that tornadoes are possible in the designated watch area. A tornado watch is a precautionary measure to alert people that they should be prepared for the possibility of tornadoes. It provides advance notice, often several hours, to allow residents to be on alert, stay informed, and make plans in case a tornado actually forms. During a tornado watch, you should stay informed about the weather conditions, listen to weather updates and warnings, and have a plan in place for seeking shelter if a tornado warning is subsequently issued.
TORNADO WARNING: A tornado warning is a more urgent and specific alert issued when a tornado has been observed or indicated by weather radar. It means that a tornado is imminent or already occurring in the warned area. A tornado warning is a critical warning that demands immediate action. When a warning is issued, it’s time to take shelter immediately and seek safety. It is a call to action to protect lives and property. When a tornado warning is issued, you should take cover immediately in a safe location, such as a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Do not wait; take shelter as soon as you hear or receive the warning.

In summary, a tornado watch is a cautionary alert indicating the potential for tornadoes in an area, while a tornado warning is a specific and urgent alert indicating that a tornado is either occurring or imminent. Knowing the difference between the two and understanding the appropriate actions to take can be crucial for staying safe during severe weather events.

TORNADO IN A JAR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY

This blog is also a part of our Weather Safety and Science Kit activity resources. If you’ve got a weather-inspired kid ages 5-10, head over to our Weather Safety and Science Kit Activities to check out the Tornado In A Jar activity, plus more fun weather focused learning resources and activities!

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A study from the University of California, Riverside, has found that after a drought-stricken California lifted a year of mandatory water-use cuts, urban water use crept back up somewhat, but the overall lasting effect was a more waterwise Golden State. Published in the journal Water Resources Research, the UCR study found that water use by 2019 was still lower than it was in 2013, thanks in large part to water use changes by larger water users. We sat down with Dr. Mehdi Nemati, the study’s lead author, to talk about the study and what its results mean for the residents, governing bodies, and municipal organizations in California. 

Dr. Nemati is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy at the School of Public Policy, University of California, Riverside. With a strong focus on applied econometric methods and big data analysis, Dr. Nemati’s policy-oriented research centers on economic issues associated with water management. 

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