In turn, the word huracan probably came from Hunraken, the Mayan storm god, or Hurakan, the Quiche god of thunder and lightning, or any of a number of other Caribbean Indian terms for evil spirits or big winds. Although the word was originally used to describe any localized tropical cyclone in the West Indies, it now classifies the powerful tropical cyclones that develop in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, or the eastern North Pacific Ocean, east of the International Dateline and north of the equator. A hurricane's life cycle pass through four distinct stages, tropical disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm and finally, a hurricane. All are classified as tropical cyclones. A tropical disturbance is a discrete system of clouds, showers, and thunderstorms that originates in the tropics and maintains its identity for twenty-four hours or more.
Tropical waves are a type of tropical disturbance.
They are troughs of low pressure which move generally from east to west, imbedded in the tropical easterlies. They are also called easterly waves. A tropical cyclone is given a name by the National Hurricane Center once it reaches tropical storm status. Winds in most hurricanes can become much stronger. Hurricanes are categorized on a scale of 1 to 5 based on their wind speed, barometric pressure, and resultant destructive potential.