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The amount of water it takes to cause a flood depends on how much water a river, stream, or other receptacle (container) can hold. Example: If you were to put the plug in your bathtub, turn the water on and leave the room, when the tub was filled, it would spill over and flood the bathroom.

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What causes flooding? - National Geographic Kids

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Causes of floods: Why is it that some places flood and some don’t? Well, turns out its all in the geography. Post Boxing Day floods, one school decided to investigate

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Rain & Floods

How does rain form?
Water droplets form from warm air. As the warm air rises in the sky it cools. Water vapor (invisible water in the air) always exists in our air. Warm air holds quite a bit of water. For example, in the summer it is usually very humid. When enough of these droplets collect together, we see them as clouds. If the clouds are big enough and have enough water droplets, the droplets bang together and form even bigger drops. When the drops get heavy, they fall because of gravity, and you see and feel rain.

What causes rain?

When clouds develop or rain occurs, something is making the air rise. Several things can make this happen. Mountains, low-pressure areas, cold fronts, and even the jet stream.

How big are raindrops?
Raindrops are much smaller than we think! They are actually smaller than a centimeter. Raindrops range from 1/100 inch (.0254 centimeter) to 1/4 inch (.635 centimeter) in diameter.

How fast do raindrops fall?
Not including wind-driven rain, raindrops fall between 7 and 18 miles per hour (3 and 8 meters per second) in still air. The range in speed depends on the the size of the raindrop. Air friction breaks up raindrops when they exceed 18 miles per hour.

What is a flood?
A flood results from days of heavy rain and/or melting snows, when rivers rise and go over their banks.

What is a flash flood?
A flash flood is sudden flooding that occurs when floodwaters rise rapidly with no warning within several hours of an intense rain. They often occur after intense rainfall from slow moving thunderstorms. In narrow canyons and valleys, floodwaters flow faster than on flatter ground and can be quite destructive.

Do flash floods hurt people?
Flash floods are the #1 weather-related killer in the U.S. Nearly 80% of flash flood deaths are auto related. Know beforehand if your area is a flood risk.

How much water is needed for your car to float away?
A mere 2 feet of water can float a large vehicle or even a bus. This is why you should never drive through flooded roads. Just 6 inches of rapidly moving flood water can knock a person down.

What is a monsoon?
A monsoon is a seasonal wind, found especially in Asia that reverses direction between summer and winter and often brings heavy rains. In the summer, a high pressure area lies over the Indian Ocean while a low exists over the Asian continent. The air masses move from the high pressure over the ocean to the low over the continent, bringing moisture-laden air to south Asia. During winter, the process is reversed and a low sits over the Indian Ocean while a high lies over the Tibetan plateau so air flows down the Himalaya and south to the ocean. The migration of trade winds and westerlies also contributes to the monsoons. Smaller monsoons take place in equatorial Africa, northern Australia, and, to a lesser extent, in the southwestern United States.

What is radar?
Radar is an electronic instrument, which determines the direction and distance of objects that reflect radio energy back to the radar site. It stands for Radio Detection and Ranging. This is what meteorologists use to see rain or snow.

What is Doppler Radar? Doppler Radar detects precipitation intensity, wind direction and speed, and provides estimates of hail size and rainfall amounts. Doppler Radar gives forecasters the capability of providing early detection of severe thunderstorms that may bring strong damaging winds, large hail, heavy rain, and possibly tornadoes. Combined with satellites, radar gives forecasters the ultimate tools to provide accurate forecasts and advanced severe weather warnings.

Doppler Radar gets its name from the Doppler Effect. Have you ever listened to a train whistle as it was coming toward you? You probably noticed that the pitch of the whistle changed as the train passed you and moved away. This change in the frequency of sound is called the Doppler Effect. Doppler Radar measures the changes in the frequency of the signal it receives to determine the wind. How does Doppler Radar work?

The National Weather Service has installed a new type of Doppler Radar called NEXRAD Radar. NEXRAD stands for Next Generation Radar. This radar produces many different views of storms and rain that allows meteorologists to determine if a storm could be severe.
What is NEXRAD Radar?

Know the Lingo

FLOOD WATCH - means that an overflow of water from a river is possible for your area.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH - means that flash flooding is possible in or close to the watch area. Flash Flood Watches can be put into effect for as long as 12 hours, while heavy rains move into and across the area.

FLOOD WARNING - means flooding conditions are actually occurring in the warning area.

FLASH FLOOD WARNING - means that flash flooding is actually occurring in the warning area. A warning can also be issued as a result of torrential rains, a dam failure or snow thaw.
Click Here to see if there are any active warnings in your area.
Flood Safety Tips

BEFORE A FLOOD: Have a disaster plan and prepare a disaster supplies kit for your home and car. Include a first aid kit, canned food, can opener, bottled water, battery-operated radio, flashlight, protective clothing and written instructions on how to turn off electricity, gas, and water.
DURING A FLOOD: Move to a safe area quickly. Move to higher ground, like the highest floor of your home. Avoid areas subject to sudden flooding like low spots and canyons. Avoid already flooded areas. If a flowing stream of water is above your ankles stop, turn around and go the other way. Do not attempt to drive through a flooded road. The depth of the water is not obvious and the road may be washed away. If your car stalls, leave it and seek higher ground. Rapidly rising water may engulf the car, pick it up and sweep it away. Kids should never play around high water, storm drains or viaducts. Be cautious at night, because its harder to see flood dangers. If told to evacuate, do so immediately.
AFTER THE FLOOD: Always, boil drinking water. Electrical equipment should be checked and dried before used.
Rain Activities

Lesson Plan: Here is a great lesson plan on learning about precipitation. In this activity, kids will use a weather map to answer questions about precipitation falling across the country. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Pressure Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows how pressure is created in our atmosphere by sucking an egg in a bottle. This is a very cool experiment!

Science Fair Project Ideas: Here is a complete list of science fair project ideas. Discover the science behind the weather that impacts us every day.Make A Barometer Experiment: Here is an experiment that allows the kids to make a barometer.

Evaporation Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows kids how evaporation takes place.

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Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids

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Weather Wiz Kids is a fun and safe website for kids about all the weather info they need to know. It contains tools for weather education, including weather games, activities, experiments, photos, a glossary and educational teaching materials for the classroom.

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Rain is pouring hard and fast-more than eight inches in just an hour, turning river water brown with mud. Earthworms wiggle up to the ground as the soil becomes too wet for them. A flood might be coming.

Just about any place on Earth can experience flooding. When so much rain falls that the ground can't absorb it or waterways can't hold it, the overflowing water becomes a destructive force. In the United States, flooding causes more death and damage than tornadoes, hurricanes, or lightning.

How floods develop

During a rainstorm, precipitation-or the water that comes from rain or snow-goes to different places. Some of it flows into streams, lakes, or city water systems. Other precipitation evaporates and returns to the atmosphere.

But much of the rainwater is absorbed by soil. It flows through the top layer of the ground, to plant roots below the surface. This helps provides plants with the water and nutrients they need to grow. The excess water moves deeper into the ground through layers of dirt and rocks where until it becomes part of natural underground wells called groundwater.

A habitat can naturally absorb a healthy amount of rainfall it needs to thrive. But too much rain can cause lake and river levels to rise and overflow their banks, or the soil to become too wet to absorb more water. And though you might think extremely dry habitats would welcome too much rain, it turns out that the parched dirt can't absorb the rain fast enough to capture it all.

Severe coastal storms, quickly melting ice and snow, and collapsed barriers (like concrete dams) can also cause floods. Even damaged beaver dams can lead to an overflow of water that the surrounding earth can't absorb.

Different types of floods

Floods can form slowly over several days or overwhelm an area with little warning. How quickly a flood forms often depends on the habitat.

Slow-forming river flooding happens in regions called floodplains. These are large, flat areas of land along waterways with very shallow banks. When big storms hit, the water overflows the banks and spreads out across the plains.

This type of flooding isn't always bad. It brings nutrients to the surrounding soil, making it fertile for growing crops. That's why many people live in or near floodplains.

But too much water can destroy crops and damage homes. Rushing water can disrupt ecosystems by moving aquatic plants and animals to other habitats. And if flooding is so severe that it flows into local water treatment facilities, experts must monitor the incoming water to make sure the water is safe.

Another type of flooding is called a flash flood, when a flood happens within six hours of a heavy rainfall-as much as eight inches an hour. With no place to go, the moving water will tear through highways, valleys, and canyons, washing away vehicles, roads, bridges, and houses.

Quickly melting ice and snow can also cause flash flooding, especially when mountain snowmelt overflows the waterways below. On coastlines, hurricane rains cause water levels to rise, and the high winds push that water onto land. Called a storm surge, this also causes flash flooding.

Flooding in the future

Scientists believe that warming temperatures caused by climate change are increasing the risk of floods all over the world, especially in coastal and low-lying areas.

Warmer water changes the patterns of ocean currents, which changes global weather patterns. This means that some places will receive more rainfall than the ground can absorb. Other places will get less rain so the land will be drier-and unable to handle rainfall when it does occur.

Scientists think that climate change could also cause stronger hurricanes, with more rain and higher winds causing bigger storm surges. A warmer climate could also mean more snowmelt overwhelming the soil; melting polar ice could cause sea levels to rise and increase flooding. ( Find out how you can help slow climate change.)

How to survive a flood

Experts might issue a flash flood watch if weather conditions are right. It doesn't mean flooding will happen but that meteorologists want people to be prepared. When experts are sure a flash flood is on the way, they issue a warning so people can evacuate immediately. Here's how to keep you and your family safe.

Before a flood
* Know your neighborhood. Research how close you are to streams, drainage channels, canyons, and any other low-lying areas that might flood.
* Keep emergency contact phone numbers in one place so you can get in touch with family members.
* Put together an evacuation plan and share it with everyone in your household. Know what paths and routes you can use to quickly get to a high, dry place.
* Conduct flood drills to practice evacuating quickly.
* Maintain an emergency kit with a three-day supply of food and water. Experts recommend canned or dried foods that don't need to be cooked, and at least one gallon of water per day for each person and pet.

During a flood
* Never wait for orders to leave; if you think a flood might be coming, evacuate immediately.
* If flooding hasn't started, move important items to upper floors of your house.
* If flooding has already started where you are, move to the highest place you can find, like a roof of a house or car. Bring as much food, water, and sheltering blankets as possible.
* Never walk through flood water, especially if it's moving. Hazardous chemicals, sewage, and even wild animals are often in floodwater, and just six inches of moving water can knock you off your feet.
* If you must walk through water to escape, walk where the water is still. Never touch electrical equipment if you are standing in water, or even if you're wet.
* If water is quickly rising while you're in your car, leave your vehicle and move to higher ground, like a hill or bridge.

After a flood
* If you've evacuated your house, return only after you're given the all-clear from officials.
* If you stayed put, check your house for damage to electrical systems and appliances. Get rid of any food that might be contaminated from floodwater (or because it's been unrefrigerated for awhile).
* Check your home for wild animals, especially snakes. They can get washed into your home with the floodwater.
* Ask an adult before you use water to brush your teeth, make food, or even wash your hands. Flooding can contaminate water and make you sick.
Learn more about floods at National Geographic.
Flood safety tips from the Nat Geo Kids book Extreme Weather by Thomas Kostigen

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Learn about what causes flooding, different types of floods-and how to stay safe.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Most floods take hours or even days to develop, giving residents time to prepare or evacuate. Others generate quickly and with little warning. So-called flash floods can be extremely dangerous, instantly turning a babbling brook or even a dry wash into rushing rapids that sweep everything in their path downstream.

Climate change is increasing the risk of floods worldwide, particularly in coastal and low-lying areas, because of its role in extreme weather events and rising seas. The increase in temperatures that accompanies global warming can contribute to hurricanes that move more slowly and drop more rain, funneling moisture into atmospheric rivers like the ones that led to heavy rains and flooding in California in early 2019.

Meanwhile, melting glaciers and other factors are contributing to a rise in sea levels that has created long-term, chronic flooding risks for places ranging from Venice, Italy to the Marshall Islands. More than 670 U.S. communities will face repeated flooding by the end of this century, according to a 2017 analysis; it's happening in more than 90 coastal communities already.

Impacts of flooding

Floods cause more than $40 billion in damage worldwide annually, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. In the U.S., losses average close to $8 billion a year. Death tolls have increased in recent decades to more than 100 people a year. In China's Yellow River Valley some of the world's worst floods have killed millions of people.

When floodwaters recede, affected areas are often blanketed in silt and mud. The water and landscape can be contaminated with hazardous materials such as sharp debris, pesticides, fuel, and untreated sewage. Potentially dangerous mold blooms can quickly overwhelm water-soaked structures.

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Learn about how floods happen and the damage they cause

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Get facts and information about floods and flooding from National Geographic

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Floods may:

Find safe shelter right away.

Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around, Don't Drown!

Remember, just six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot of moving water can sweep your vehicle away.

Stay off bridges over fast-moving water.

Depending on the type of flooding:

Evacuate if told to do so.

Move to higher ground or a higher floor.

Stay where you are.

Preparing for a Flood
Make a plan for your household, including your pets, so that you and your family know what to do, where to go, and what you will need to protect yourselves from flooding. Learn and practice evacuation routes, shelter plans, and flash flood response. Gather supplies, including non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case you must leave immediately or if services are cut off in your area.

In Case of Emergency
Keep important documents in a waterproof container. Create password-protected digital copies. Protect your property. Move valuables to higher levels. Declutter drains and gutters. Install check valves. Consider a sump pump with a battery.

Evacuate immediately, if told to evacuate. Never drive around barricades. Local responders use them to safely direct traffic out of flooded areas.

Contact your healthcare provider If you are sick and need medical attention. Wait for further care instructions and shelter in place, if possible. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.

Listen to EAS, NOAA Weather Radio or local alerting systems for current emergency information and instructions regarding flooding.

Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around. Don't Drown!

Stay off bridges over fast-moving water. Fast-moving water can wash bridges away without warning.

Stay inside your car if it is trapped in rapidly moving water. Get on the roof if water is rising inside the car.

Get to the highest level if trapped in a building. Only get on the roof if necessary and once there signal for help. Do not climb into a closed attic to avoid getting trapped by rising floodwater.

Pay attention to authorities for information and instructions. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.

Avoid driving except in emergencies.

Wear heavy work gloves, protective clothing and boots during clean up and use appropriate face coverings or masks if cleaning mold or other debris.

People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled. Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.

Be aware that snakes and other animals may be in your house.

Be aware of the risk of electrocution. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Turn off the electricity to prevent electric shock if it is safe to do so.

Avoid wading in floodwater, which can be contaminated and contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water.

Use a generator or other gasoline-powered machinery ONLY outdoors and away from windows.

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Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. Learn how to stay safe when a flood threatens. Prepare for a flood During a flood After a flood Associated content Flooding is a temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Floods are the most common disaster in the United States.

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Information about satellite and radar systems used to detect severe floods, from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory.

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Flooding research at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. NSSL researchers are investigating the meteorological causes of flash flooding and working on tools to improve the science behind flash flood and river flood warnings.

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Hurricanes | UCAR Center for Science Education

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If you live in an area that is affected by hurricanes, it is important that you and your family create a plan for what to do in a hurricane, and pull together an emergency supply kit.

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How do Hurricanes Form? | Precipitation Education

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Hurricanes are the most awesome, violent storms on Earth. People call these storms by other names, such as typhoons or cyclones, depending on where they occur. Whatever they are called, tropical cyclones all form the same way.This website, presented by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission, provides students and educators with resources to learn about Earth's water cycle, weather and climate, and the technology and societal applications of studying them.

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NASA Our World: What is a Hurricane? | Precipitation Education

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This NASA video segment explains the formation of hurricanes.

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Hurricanes, known broadly as tropical cyclones, are rotating systems of clouds and thunderstorms that form over tropical or subtropical waters. One of nature's most powerful storms, hurricanes can bring strong winds, storm surge flooding, heavy rainfall that can lead to inland flooding, tornadoes, and rip currents.

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This Science with NOAA Research K12 site provides learning experiences that center on Hurricanes.

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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A tropical cyclone is one of the most destructive natural forces on Earth. These enormous, swirling storm systems form over the ocean. Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific are known as hurricanes. Those in the Western Pacific are known as typhoons. When such storms erupt in the Indian Ocean, they're referred to as cyclones.

Whatever you call them, these storms need several starting ingredients. First, there must be some sort of atmospheric disturbance or event. Typically, that will be a thunderstorm. Second, that disturbance has to occur over ocean water that is at least 26° Celsius (80° Fahrenheit). The air also needs to contain plenty of moisture, notes Kam-Biu Liu. He studies hurricanes at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Next? As the sun warms the atmosphere, pockets of warm, humid air begin to rise from above the ocean's surface. This temperature driven movement is known as convection. This now-water-saturated air rises into the tropopause. This is a region in the atmosphere somewhere between 9 and 17 kilometers (5.6 and 11 miles) above Earth's surface.

As soon as the warm air gets here, it begins to cool. Cool air can't hold as much moisture as warm air. So some of that excess water vapor condenses to form clouds and rain. This releases some heat, which warms the surrounding air. As this warm air rises, it creates regions of low air pressure beneath it.

A new parcel of air will now spin under the storm and into the space left behind by the rising warm air. This air flows in from a region of higher pressure outside the storm. It gets drawn into the center of the cyclone, the region having the lowest pressure. If the cyclone is strong enough, this center will form an "eye." That's a calm and cloud-free area of low pressure. A quiet zone, it sits smack dab in the middle of the raging bands of turbulence encircling it.

Together, convection and condensation drive the hurricane, explains Liu. They "create a very efficient heat engine that fuels the hurricane."

NASA

From storm to hurricane

But swirling ocean-born storm clouds are not enough to qualify as a hurricane. The critical issue is wind speed.

As a storm strengthens, its circulating winds will become more powerful. As long as the winds' sustained speed does not exceed 61 kilometers (38 miles) per hour, this storm will be known as a tropical depression. If its winds continue to build, attaining 62 to 117 kilometers (39 to 73 miles) per hour, it will formally become a tropical storm. At this point, it will receive an official name - such as Katrina (2005 in the Gulf of Mexico), Nepartak (2016 in China and Taiwan), Roanu (2016 in the Bay of Bengal) or Harvey (2017 in the Gulf of Mexico).

Finally, if conditions are right, the storm can intensify into a hurricane (or typhoon or cyclone, depending on its location). These intense circulating storms are rated category 1 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. That rating reflects the maximum sustained wind speed (as measured over a 2 minute period).

Category 1 storms range from 119 to 153 kilometers per hour (74 to 95 miles per hour). Such winds can rip shingles off of houses and snap tree branches. The damage frequently is bad enough to knock out electric power for up to a few days.

A Category 2 storm will have sustained winds of 153 to 177 kph (96 to 110 mph). Winds this strong can rip siding off of buildings and uproot trees. Associated power outages can last more than a week.

A Category 3 storm slams a region with 178 to 208 kph (111 to 129 mph) winds. Category 3 and higher tropical cyclones are classified as major hurricanes. These can unleash enough damage to knock out power and water for weeks. Superstorm Sandy was, at its strongest, a category 3 hurricane. It weakened to below true hurricane status by the time it came ashore in New York and New Jersey. Still, it was devastating enough to cripple large swaths of coastal communities there.

A Category 4 storm's sustained winds run from 209 to 251 kph (130 to 156 mph). That's enough to flatten homes or rip through them, rendering whole communities uninhabitable. Hurricane Opal, a category 4 storm, ravaged the Florida Panhandle in 1995.

Category 5 storms are the most powerful of all. Their catastrophic winds lash a region at speeds of 252 kph (157 mph) or higher. They can unleash such extensive destruction that people may not be able to return to their homes for months. At its strongest, Hurricane Katrina reached category 5 status. It flooded whole sections of New Orleans, La., and devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Tropical cyclones travel, often creating havoc far from the warm waters that first spawned them. Some may move hundreds to thousands of kilometers (or miles) across open oceans. Along that path, they may strengthen or weaken several times. Especially dangerous are storms that "make landfall." This refers to their having crossed some island or coastline. Most hurricanes lose steam within a day or two of making landfall.

Mike Trenchard/Earth Sciences & Image Analysis Laboratory/Johnson Space Center/NASA

Why hurricanes are dangerous

Hurricanes are defined by their winds. And those winds unquestionably pose a major threat to coastal communities. Steady winds and even higher gusts can blow down electric-power lines, upend trees, and toss debris through the air. Whole buildings can be knocked down. The gusting, gale-force tempests can even transform branches and other types of debris into potentially deadly projectiles.

But storm dangers are not due solely to the speed at which hurricanes blow.

One of the greatest dangers that these storms pose to coastal areas is what's known as a storm surge. As a tropical cyclone spins toward land, its winds can push seawater ashore. This may temporarily flood the land to depths of 1 to 4 meters (3 to 13 feet) or more. A storm surge can be especially dangerous if it coincides with high tide; this can push an even higher wall of water onshore.

Another hazard: Torrential storms may dump 25 centimeters (10 inches) or more of rain within 24 hours. These rains can fall too fast to soak into the ground, posing a risk of flash floods. This may occur inland, far from any storm surge. And these storms may trigger lightning and tornadoes, which pose their own risks.

Preparing for hurricane season

In the Atlantic, nearly all tropical cyclones occur between June 1 and November 30. The number of storms that form during this "hurricane season" can vary widely from year to year. In general, August and September tend to be the most at-risk months.

If you live in an area that is vulnerable to hurricanes, there are things you can do to prepare. Consider stocking up on emergency supplies. Families may want to also draw up a hurricane plan. This will include things like identifying who is supposed to take on which tasks in preparing for the storm. Part of the plan also should include identifying your closest storm shelters.

If a hurricane is headed toward your community, you might be directed to evacuate altogether. Know the best routes to get out of town. If you need to evacuate, make sure your family has a pre-packed hurricane kit. It might include batteries, cash, matches, a flashlight, first aid supplies, medications and copies of important documents.

If you aren't advised to leave and your family decides to take shelter at home, make sure to stock up with several days' worth of food and water. Expect that you could lose power and running water for several days. So prepare by charging all phones and other electronic devices ahead of the storm.

And help your family prepare your home. This may include covering windows and clearing yards and porches of toys, chairs or other large items that the winds could turn into dangerous missiles.

Power Words
More About Power Words

cloud A plume of molecules or particles, such as water droplets, that move under the action of an outside force, such as wind, radiation or water currents. (in atmospheric science) A mass of airborne water droplets and ice crystals that travel as a plume, usually high in Earth's atmosphere. Its movement is driven by winds.

convection The rising and falling of material in a fluid or gas due to uneven temperatures. This process occurs in the outer layers of some stars.

cyclone A strong, rotating vortex, usually made of wind. Notable examples include a tornado or hurricane.

debris Scattered fragments, typically of trash or of something that has been destroyed. Space debris, for instance, includes the wreckage of defunct satellites and spacecraft.

force Some outside influence that can change the motion of a body, hold bodies close to one another, or produce motion or stress in a stationary body.

humidity A measure of the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. (Air with a lot of water vapor in it is known as humid.)

hurricane A tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean and has winds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour or greater. When such a storm occurs in the Pacific Ocean, people refer to it as a typhoon.

moisture Small amounts of water present in the air, as vapor. It can also be present as a liquid, such as water droplets condensed on the inside of a window, or dampness present in clothing or soil.

Pacific The largest of the world's five oceans. It separates Asia and Australia to the west from North and South America to the east.

pressure Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.

risk The chance or mathematical likelihood that some bad thing might happen. For instance, exposure to radiation poses a risk of cancer. Or the hazard - or peril - itself. (For instance: Among cancer risks that the people faced were radiation and drinking water tainted with arsenic.)

sea level The overall level of the ocean over the entire globe when all tides and other short-term changes are averaged out.

storm surge A storm-generated rise in water above normal tidal level. In most cases, the largest cause of storm surge is strong onshore winds in a hurricane or tropical storm.

tropical cyclone A strong, rotating storm. These usually form over tropical areas around the equator where the water is warm. Tropical cyclones have strong winds of more than 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour and usually have heavy rain. Large ones in the Atlantic are known as hurricanes. Those in the Pacific are termed typhoons.

tropical depression This is a low-pressure storm system that forms in the tropics and has wind speeds no higher than 61 kilometers (or 38 miles) per hour. It's a serious storm, but well below hurricane status.

typhoon A tropical cyclone that occurs in the Pacific or Indian oceans and has winds of 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour or greater. In the Atlantic Ocean, such storm are referred to as hurricanes.

Lillian Steenblik Hwang is the assistant digital editor for Science News for Explores. She has a bachelor's degree in biology (and a minor in chemistry) from Georgia State University and a master's degree in in science journalism from Boston University.

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Explainer: Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons

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A tropical cyclone is one of the most destructive natural forces on Earth. These enormous, swirling storm systems form over the ocean. Tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific are known as hurricanes. Those in the Western Pacific are known as typhoons.

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Hurricanes are dangerous and can cause major damage from storm surge, wind damage, rip currents and flooding. They can happen along any U.S. coast or in any territory in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Storm surge historically is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States.

Prepare for Hurricanes
Know Your Hurricane Risk Make an Emergency Plan Know your Evacuation Zone Recognize Warnings and Alerts Those with Disabilities Review Important Documents Strengthen your Home Get Tech Ready Help your Neighborhood Gather Supplies
Stay Safe During a Hurricane

Returning Home After a Hurricane

Additional Resources
Videos Graphics and Social Media More Information

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Learn how to prepare for a hurricane, stay safe during a hurricane, and what to do when returning home from a hurricane. Hurricanes are dangerous and can cause major damage because of storm surge, wind damage, and flooding. They can happen along any U.S. coast or in any territory in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans.

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Hurricanes are large swirling storms with high-speed winds that form over warm ocean waters.

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Tropical Storm Zeta

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Min pressure: 990 mb
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Top News of the Day... Last update Thu, 29 Oct 2020 11:49:56 UTC For best viewing experience, please enable browser JavaScript/Active Scripting. Atlantic - Caribbean Sea - Gulf of Mexico Tropical Storm Zeta Satellite | Buoys | Grids | Storm Archive ...ZETA CONTINUES TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES...

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Hurricane article