The innermost convective ring of thunderstorms that surrounds the eye of a hurricane is known as the eye wall. This region is home to the most intense winds and fiercest rains within a tropical cyclone and has a typical width of approximately 10-15 NM. Additionally, it is the most significant contributor in the vertical transport of warm moist air from the lower levels of the storm into the middle and upper levels of the troposphere over a tropical cyclone. This is a fact that agrees with observations throughout the North Atlantic basin where eyes and eye walls are generally observed only in systems with winds of strong tropical storm force or greate
Changes in the structure of the eye and eyewall can cause changes in surface pressure and wind speed in a tropical cyclone. The eye can grow or shrink in size, and double (concentric) eye walls can form, dissipate, and redevelop. All of these factors play a significant role in short-term influences of hurricane intensity.
You may also know hurricane speed and path:
A hurricane’s speed and path are dependent upon two factors.
First is the environmental steering that it encounters while the second is the tropical cyclones own internal influences and secondary steering influences. Typically, a hurricane’s forward speed averages around 13-17 KT.
However, some hurricanes stall, while others, normally during or after re-curvature, can accelerate to more than 50 KT. Hurricane Hazel (1954) hit North Carolina on the morning of 15 October. Fourteen hours later, Hazel reached Toronto, Canada where it resulted in 80 deaths. Some hurricanes follow a fairly straight course, while others loop and wobble along their path. The key to understanding where a tropical cyclone will move lies in completely understanding the steering environment in which that tropical cyclone is found.
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