Hurricanes do form in the Pacific Ocean, just as they do in the Atlantic, but none of these storms seem to reach the continental U. S. Why not? … The first is that hurricanes in the northern hemisphere form at tropical and subtropical latitudes and then tend to move toward the west-northwest.
The scientific term for all these storms is tropical cyclone. Only tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean are called “hurricanes.” That is why they form only over warm ocean waters near the equator. The warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface.
Hurricane-level storms that occur in the northern Atlantic Ocean and northeast Pacific Ocean are called hurricanes, while those in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons. Hurricanes may hit the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and/or the east coast of the United States—and also can occur in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.
There is a fairly straightforward reason why recent Pacific tropical activity has been so meager. Since spring, the large-scale atmospheric pattern has favored sinking air over the Pacific Ocean.
When do most Pacific Ocean hurricanes occur?
In the Western Pacific, the hurricane season begins on July 1st and peaks in early September or early August. It ends in November. In the South Pacific, it lasts from mid-October to mid-May, and reaches its peak in early March or late February. In the northern Indian Ocean, the season lasts from the beginning of April to the end of December.
Are there any hurricanes forming right now?
There are now two tropical systems in the eastern Atlantic Ocean being monitored by the National Hurricane Center, according to its 2 p. m., and thursday advisory. Both could strengthen into named storms.
Most hurricanes begin in the Atlantic as a result of tropical waves that move westward off the African coast.