hurricane

[noun]

Also called tropical cyclone; "hurricane" is the name used more commonly for tropical cyclones in the northern Atlantic Ocean basin and the eastern Pacific Ocean basin ("typhoon" is used commonly in the western Pacific). An intense, cyclonic storm that forms over warm, tropical ocean waters and then moves west and northeast. To reach hurricane status, sustained wind speeds must reach 73 mph, but they may reach up to 230 mph near the center of the storm.