Atlantic hurricane season begins today. People in other parts of the world call these storms typhoons or cyclones, but they are all the same thing: a rotating storm that forms in the tropics (that’s near the equator) and has winds of at least 74...

Atlantic hurricane season begins today.

People in other parts of the world call these storms typhoons or cyclones, but they are all the same thing: a rotating storm that forms in the tropics (that’s near the equator) and has winds of at least 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour).
“Hurricane” comes from Hurican, the name of an evil god for ancient peoples in the Caribbean. They took the name from Hurakan, the name the ancient Maya of Mexico gave to their god of wind and storm. For people in the tropics, these storms have always been a part of life.

Learn more about hurricanes in Nature’s Fury: The Science of Natural Disasters, now open.

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