This link does not constitute an endorsement by the NWS of any information, products or services on this external Web site. A tropical disturbance is a discrete system of organized showers and thunderstorms that originates in the tropics and maintains its identity for 24 hours or more. In the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico hurricane season extends from the first day in June until the last day of November. The peak hurricane threat exists from mid-August to late October. In other parts of the world, such as the western Pacific, hurricanes can occur year-round.
Hurricanes usually originate as a cluster of showers and thunderstorms in tropical waters.
The process by which a disturbance forms and subsequently strengthens into a hurricane depends on many conditions. However, there are three major factors in which must be met before hurricanem formation. Those factors include warm water and moisture, favorable low level winds, and light upper level winds. Hurricanes main source of energy comes from heat. Developing hurricanes gather heat and energy through contact with warm ocean waters.