Your browser has JavaScript turned off. You do not have to restart your browser or your computer after you enable JavaScript. With howling winds of 74 mph or greater spiraling around a low-pressure center, hurricanes are the most intense category of tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Basins. These mysterious, awe-inspiring cyclones are born from warm tropical waters, relying on a complex combination of atmospheric conditions for their very existence.
Hurricanes depend on warm water as an energy source.
This is one reason that Atlantic Basin hurricanes normally form between early June and late November - that's when tropical waters are warmest. So it's not a predictor, but it's a prerequisite. The Coriolis Force, or the deflection force on a system due to the Earth's rotation, is necessary for tropical cyclones to obtain their rotation. Since the Coriolis force is zero at the equator, tropical systems can't form there. This is called vertical wind shear.