Series: Coastal Geomorphology—Tropical Storms

Tropical storms are warm-based systems that derive their energy from warm ocean water and warm, moist air. These storms drive coastal change along the Gulf of Mexico and in the North Atlantic.

• Article 1: Tropical Storm Development

  

  Learn what conditions have to exist for tropical cyclones to form. Read more

• Article 2: Anatomy of a Hurricane

  

  Explore the features that make up a hurricane. Read more

• Article 3: Storm Surge

  

  Storm surge is the water that advances toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around a storm. Read more

• Article 4: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

  

  In the early 1970s, Herbert Saffir, an engineer, and Robert Simpson, a meteorologist, developed a scale to describe the likely effects that hurricanes could have on an area. The scale has five categories, increasing in intensity from 1 to 5. Read more