To understand hurricane reports, you’ll need to know these terms

▪  Eye: The center portion of the storm around which winds and rain rotate. Winds are calm and skies are clear or partly cloudy when the eye of a storm passes.

▪  Hurricane: A tropical cyclone with winds of 74 mph or more.

▪  Hurricane warning: Hurricane conditions are expected in the warning area, usually within 24 hours. Complete all storm preparations and evacuate if desired by local officials.

▪  Hurricane watch: Hurricane conditions are possible in the area of the watch, usually within 36 hours. Prepare to take immediate action to protect your family and property in case a hurricane warning is issued.

▪  National Hurricane Center: The National Weather Service offices are in Dade County, Fla. It is responsible for forecasting tropical storms and hurricanes.

▪  Small-craft advisory: When a hurricane moves within a few hundred miles of the coast, small-craft owners should not venture out into the open ocean.

▪  Storm surge: A large dome of water, often 50 to 100 miles wide, that sweeps across the coastline near where a hurricane makes landfall. The stronger the hurricane and the shallower the offshore water, the higher the surge will be. Along the coast, storm surge is the greatest threat.

▪  Storm tide: The combination of the storm surge and the normal astronomical tide.

▪  Tropical cyclone: The general term for all circulating weather systems over tropical waters. Tropical cyclones are classified as tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.

▪  Tropical depression: A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds near the surface of less than 39 mph.

▪  Tropical disturbance: A moving area of thunderstorms in the tropics.

▪  Tropical storm: A tropical cyclone with 39 to 73 mph winds. These storms are assigned names.

▪  Tropical storm warning: Tropical storm conditions are expected in the warning area, usually within 24 hours.

▪  Tropical storm watch: Tropical storm conditions are possible in the watch area, usually within 36 hours.

This story was originally published May 28, 2017 at 7:37 PM with the headline "To understand hurricane reports, you’ll need to know these terms."