Introduction to Hurricanes: Hurricane Series, Part 1

Introduction to Hurricanes: Hurricane Series, Part 1

From Naturally Florida by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan

September 15, 2025 · 25 min · Season 5 · Episode 9

About this episode

This episode introduces the formation and categorization of hurricanes as part of a summer series.

This episode is part 1 of our summer hurricane series! Today, we're talking about how hurricanes form, why they spin, and what the "categories" mean when we talk about storms. Also, we would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to Stephen Mullens , a fellow faculty member at the University of Florida, for reviewing our episode content for accuracy. Stephan is an expert in forecasting and impacts related to hurricanes and thunderstorms. Learn More: ​ Coriolis Effect Video (Nat Geo): https://youtu.be/mPsLanVS1Q8?si=yokr3w1vUeVg6l9T ​ Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: Learn more about what each "category" storm means. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws_2012rev.pdf ​ Make a plan! Get ready, now: https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/preparing-for-hurricane-season/ Sources: ​ https://climatecenter.fsu.edu/topics/hurricanes ​ https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/How-Do-Hurricanes-Move_.pdf ​ https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/sshws_2012rev.pdf ​ https://www.npr.org/2018/09/14/647944033/september-is-peak-hurricane-season-why-is-that ​ https://weather.gov/media/mfl/TropicalEventSummary/PSHMFL_2024AL14_Milton_Tornadoes.pdf ​…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shannon Carnevale, Lara Milligan

Topics covered

  • hurricanes
  • storm categories
  • Coriolis effect
  • hurricane preparation
  • weather forecasting

Keywords

  • hurricanes
  • Coriolis effect
  • Saffir-Simpson scale
  • hurricane preparation
  • storm categories

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Florida, National Geographic, National Hurricane Center, Florida Disaster, Florida State University, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NPR, National Weather Service

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