What atmospheric conditions have to be present for hurricanes to occur?
Hurricanes are essentially really large, really severe, really long-lasting thunderstorms. They tend to follow the trade winds in the southern Atlantic ocean and head toward states like South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, although other nearby states are often affected. Hurricanes only form when low pressure systems (rapidly rising warm moist air) reside over warm ocean water around 75 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer for a long enough period of time (a few days) to develop into tropical storms. This occurs when the warm moist rising air from the ocean near the equator, rises and cools giving off latent heat to the atmosphere, making it unstable. If this continues to happen, the tropical storm will become a tropical depression. The longer the storm is over the warm ocean water, the more strength it gains. Eventually the tropical depression can become a hurricane, around which time it usually makes landfall and can cause a host of problems. Hope this was helpful.
