Tropical systems begin as tropical depressions, which are areas of low pressure with wind speeds of up to 38 miles per hour. When those winds strengthen and reach between 39 and 73 miles per hour, the ...

Wind alone does not account for all hurricane-related fatalities. Storm surge and rainfall do as well. Yet the current warning system—the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—measures a storm's ...

The incredible 252 mph peak wind gust measured in Hurricane Melissa as it approached Jamaica was verified this week. That wind gust is now officially the highest wind speed ever recorded by the ...

A staggering new observation of Hurricane Melissa was confirmed this week: As the powerful storm was preparing to hit Jamaica in late October, a dropsonde — a probe launched out of the belly of a ...