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Hurricanes Hurricanes get their start over the warm tropical waters of the North Atlantic Ocean near the equator. Most hurricanes appear in late summer or early fall, when sea temperatures are at their highest. The warm waters heats the air above it, and the updrafts of warm, moist air begin to rise. Day after day the fluffy cumuli form atop the updrafts. But the cloud tops rarely rise higher than about 6,000 feet. At that height …

…more (example: Hurricane Dorthy) In that time, it may travel tens of thousands of miles over the sea and land. At sea, hurricane winds whip up giant waves up to 20 feet high. Such waves can tear freighters and other oceangoing ships in half. Over land, hurricane winds can uproot trees, blow down telephone lines and power lines, and tear chimneys off rooftops. The air is filled with deadly flying fragments of brick, wood, and glass.