Why do hurricanes spin?
Earth's Spinning Storm
Why do hurricanes spin?
Look at a hurricane from space and you'll see it: a giant spinning pinwheel of clouds, hundreds of miles wide, wheeling across the ocean like a cosmic top. Why does it spin at all? Why doesn't it just blow straight forward like a gust of wind?
It starts with hot ocean water — at least 80°F — heating the air above it. Warm air is lighter than cool air, so it rises fast, like a hot-air balloon letting go of its tether. As it climbs, cooler air rushes in sideways to fill the empty space left behind. That rushing-in air is wind. And that's where the spinning begins.
