As the storm moves along the ocean surface, it becomes a complex, tight mass of wind and rain. The hurricane s eye is the area around which the winds rotate and is actually a calm area in the center of the storm. People have often been deceived into thinking that a storm had ended when the eye passed over and were surprised when destructive winds began again. Hurricanes can contain and release enough energy to supply electricity to the United States for a year. Often the accompanying storm surge and associated floods are responsible for much damage in coastal areas.
Storms pursue unpredictable paths toward land.
There is no set pattern in the journey from their birth places off Africa, although they frequently move northwesterly to the Gulf of Mexico and eastern coasts of North and Central America.