Gale warnings are not normally issued during tropical cyclone situations. The term is used when winds reach constant speed of 74 miles per hour or more. These winds blow in a large spiral around a relatively calm center of extremely low pressure known as the eye of the hurricane. Around the rim of the eye, winds may gust to more than 200 miles per hour. The entire storm dominates the ocean surface and lower atmosphere over tens of thousands of square miles.
Bulletins provide additional information.
Each message gives the name, eye position, intensity, and forecast movement of the storm. The relatively calm area near the center of the storm. In this area winds are light and the sky is often partly covered by clouds. The point in time when the eye, or physical center of the hurricane reaches the coastline from the hurricane's approach over water. The portion of the year having relatively high incidence of hurricanes.