Summary:
- A hurricane is an enormous storm with high winds and heavy rains.
- Hurricanes may be hundreds of kilometers wide and travel for thousands of kilometers.
- Storm's wind speeds may be greater than 251 kilometers (156 miles) per hour.
- Rainfall can be as high as 2.5 cm (1") per hour and total rainfall can be 20 billion metric tons daily.
- The enormous amounts of energy released could equal the total annual electrical power consumption of the United States from just one storm.
- There are about 100 hurricanes around the world each year.