Book 7, Question 40
Why Do Hurricanes Need Warm Ocean Water?
A hurricane is like an engine, and warm ocean water is its fuel. The sea has to be about 26 degrees Celsius, or 80 degrees Fahrenheit, or warmer, and that warm water has to go down deep. Without that warm fuel, a hurricane runs out of power.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 7
More fun facts
- Warm water needs to reach about 150 feet deep for a hurricane to keep its fuel.
- Warm, moist air rises from the ocean, and the surrounding air swirls in to take its place.
- Hurricanes also need winds that don't change much in speed or direction higher up. Strong changing winds can tear a storm apart.
- A storm needs to be at least 300 miles from the equator for Earth's spin to start it turning.
- A storm becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 miles per hour.
- Hurricane Alley is a stretch of warm Atlantic water between Africa and South America where many hurricanes form.
Sources: NOAA, NASA, NASA Science
Questions kids ask
Why don't hurricanes form at the equator?
A storm needs to be at least 300 miles from the equator for Earth's spin to make it turn.
When does a storm become a hurricane?
When its winds reach 74 miles per hour.