A name given to violent storms that originate over the
tropical or subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of
Mexico, or North Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line. Such storms
over the North Pacific west of the International Date Line are called typhoons;
those elsewhere are known as tropical cyclones, which is the general name for
all such storms including hurricanes and typhoons. These storms can cause great
damage to property and loss of human life due to high winds, flooding, and
large waves crashing against shorelines.
The word "hurricane" comes from the Spanish
"huracán," which in turn probably derived from the Native American
Taino language of the Carib people. In Taino, Hurican is variously the god of
evil or the god of the storm, and was imported himself from the Mayan god
Hurakan.
There are 5 categories of hurricanes based on their sustained
wind speeds:
Category 1 74-95 mph
Category 2 96-110
mph
Category 3 111-129
mph
Category 4 130-156
mph
Category 5 157
mph or higher
(Encarta encyclopedia and Internet resources)