Additional documentation for above:

Source:  NOAA National Hurricane Center

STANDARD ABBREVIATIONS

Conventional abbreviations were used (e.g., N for north or northern) and for American states. In addition, C for central and the following: BAH--Bahamas, BAR--Barbados, BEL--Belize, BER--Bermuda, CAN--Canada, CI--Cayman Islands, COL--Colombia, CR--Costa Rica, CU--Cuba, DOM--Dominica, DR--Dominican Republic, GRE--Grenada, GUA--Guadeloupe, HAI--Haiti, HON--Honduras, JAM--Jamaica, MAR--Martinique, MON--Montserrat, MX--Mexico, NIC--Nicaragua, PR--Puerto Rico, STB--St. Bartholemy, STE--St. Eustatius, STK--St. Kitts, STT--ST. Thomas, STV--St. Vincent, TUR--Turks Islands, US--United States, VEN--Venezuela, VI--Virgin Islands.

Notes
^a Reclassified as Category 5 in 2002
^b Moving more than 30 miles an hour
^c Highest category justified by winds
^d Classified Cat. 4 because of estimated winds
^e Cape Fear, North Carolina, area only; was a Category 2 at final landfall

What Is A Hurricane?

A hurricane is a severe tropical storm that forms in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E. Hurricanes need warm tropical oceans, moisture and light winds above them. If the right conditions last long enough, a hurricane can produce violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rains and floods. In other regions of the world, these types of storms have different names.

• Hurricane
  the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Eastern Pacific east of the dateline.
• Typhoon
  the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline
• Severe Tropical Cyclone
  the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E
• Severe Cyclonic Storm
  the North Indian Ocean
• Tropical Cyclone
  the Southwest Indian Ocean
• Extratropical Storm
  forms in any ocean outside the tropics. Center of storm is colder than the surrounding air. Has fronts. Strongest winds in the upper atmosphere.

Hurricanes rotate in a counterclockwise direction around an "eye." A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when winds reach 74 mph. There are on average six Atlantic hurricanes each year; over a three-year period, approximately five hurricanes strike the United States coastline from Texas to Maine. The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30. The East Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 through November 30, with peak activity occurring during July through September. In a normal season, the East Pacific would expect 15 or 16 tropical storms. Nine of these would become hurricanes, of which four or five would be major hurricanes.

When hurricanes move onto land, the heavy rain, strong winds and heavy waves can damage buildings, trees and cars. The heavy waves are called a storm surge. Storm surge is very dangerous and a major reason why you MUST stay away from the ocean during a hurricane.

This means that during the period 1900-1992, an average of two major hurricanes every 3 years made landfall somewhere along the United States Gulf or Atlantic Coast. (All categories combined average about five hurricanes every 3 years for the same period.)

American Cities Destroyed or Nearly Destroyed By Hurricanes Since 1845