The following questions were answered by meteorologists Barbara McNaught Watson and Al Peterlin . A hurricane starts with a few basics, one of which is a very warm ocean to serve as a source of energy. With some energy, lots of moisture, proper upper-level winds, and a trigger, up blows a tropical storm that can grow into a hurricane.
Meteorologists track hurricanes using satellites.
We take measurements around the storm that tell us what the winds are. A hurricane moves with the winds in the mid-level of the atmosphere similar to the way a pine cone would float down a stream. This is how we watch hurricanes. When it looks like the hurricane is a day or two away from land, we start to alert people that they need to prepare in case the storm hits. We use special computers to help us predict how the stream of air will move and how the hurricane will move in that stream of air.