Is the eye of a hurricane calm?

By Jacquelyn Jeanty; Updated March 13, 2018 Hurricanes are powerful weather systems that can span areas as large as 340 miles in width. read more

A hurricane's eye is calm because this quiet center is the hub around which the section of strongest winds forms. Without this hub, the storm would not develop the necessary power. The rotating winds cause the updrafts of air that give a storm hurricane strength. read more

Suddenly, a band of air at a certain radial distance starts rotating more strongly than the others; this becomes the "eyewall" — the region of strongest winds that surrounds the eye in a hurricane. The rotating winds cause updrafts: air that moves from the ocean's surface to the top of the storm. read more