The Fujita scale is used to classify the extent of a storm's damage and power. A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone, which is the general term for all circulating weather systems over tropical waters. In the Northern Hemisphere these storms circulate in a counterclockwise rotation.
Hurricanes are products of the tropical ocean and atmosphere.
Powered by heat from the sea, they are steered by the easterly trade winds and the temperate westerlies as well as by their own ferocious energy. Around their core, winds grow with great velocity, generating violent seas. Moving ashore, they sweep the ocean inward while spawning tornadoes and producing torrential rains. The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends November 30 each year. The peak hurricane threat for the U.S. exists from mid-August to late October.