台风、飓风其实都是热带气旋。
根据世界气象组织的定义，中心风力一般达到12级以上、风速达到每秒32.7米的热带气旋均可称为台风或飓风。
区别在于，发生在西北太平洋及南海上的热带气旋是我们熟知的台风，而发生在东北太平洋和大西洋上的称之为飓风。
-Cyclone, typhoon, hurricane.气旋、台风、飓风。
All of these names are used around the world to describe the most powerful storm known to man.世界各地用这些名字来为人类已知的最强劲的风暴命名。
Hurricanes are unpredictable but scientists have a through understanding of how hurricanes form and sustain their power.飓风无法预测，但科学家对飓风的形成途径和维持其风强的方式已经有了深入的了解。
In the Atlantic Ocean, hurricane season peaks during the late summer months when tropical waters are the warmest.在大西洋，飓风季节在夏末的几个月达到高峰，彼时热带水域温度最高。
Hurricanes form from a cluster of thunderstorms that suck up the warm, moist air and move it high into Earth's atmosphere.飓风形成于雷暴，雷暴吸收了温暖潮湿的空气后将之裹挟到地球大气层高处。
The warm air is then converted into energy that powers the hurricane's circular winds.然后，温暖的空气转化为能量，为飓风提供动力。
These winds spin around a low-pressure center called the eye.这些风围绕着一个叫做“风眼”的低压中心旋转。
Which can provide a 20 to 30 mile radius of eerie calm.风眼周围20到30英里半径范围内异常平静。
Encircling it is the eye wall, a towering ring of clouds with some of the fastest wind-speeds of the hurricane.环绕风眼的是风眼墙，一个高耸的云圈，其风速与飓风的速度相当。
Surrounding the eye wall are curved bands of clouds.风眼墙周围是云带。
The rainbands, often tens of miles wide releasing sheets of rain and sometimes tornadoes.雨带通常有几十英里宽，会产生大片降雨，有时还会引发龙卷风。
When a tropical storm's winds reach at least 74 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane.当热带风暴的风速达到每小时74英里时，就变成了飓风。
The hurricane then receives the category ranking of one to five on the Saffir-Simpson Scale based on its wind speed and potential damage.根据风速和潜在破坏程度，飓风可在量级表中分为1到5级。
But wind speed isn't always the most dangerous component when hurricanes come near land.但当飓风接近陆地时，最危险的因素并非总是风速。
It's storm surge.而是风暴潮。
Storm surge is caused when winds from an approaching hurricane push water towards the shoreline up to 20 feet above sea level and can extend 100 miles.风暴潮是指即将到来的飓风的气流将海水推到海平面以上20英尺的海岸线的现象，其可延伸100英里。
90% of all hurricane deaths are the result of storm surge.飓风引起的人口死亡中90%是风暴潮造成的。
While hurricanes can cause mass devastation, just like other natural disasters, they serve a higher purpose within the global ecosystem.与其他自然灾害一样，虽然飓风会造成大规模破坏，但它们在全球生态系统中所服务的目标对象也更高级。
Hurricanes help regulate our climate by moving heat energy from the equator to the poles keeping the Earth's temperature stable.飓风通过将热量从赤道转移到两极来维持地球温度的稳定，从而帮助调节我们的气候。
Over time, science has helped us to better understand hurricanes and predict their paths.随着时间的推移，科学使我们更好地理解飓风并预测它们的路径。
Saving lives through early warning systems and helping us build better infrastructure to protect our cities.通过早期预警系统挽救生命，帮助我们建立更好的基础设施用以保护我们的城市。
The more we study these complex storms, the better we can prepare for them and minimize their impact on human lives.我们对这些复杂的风暴研究得越多，就越能做好准备，把它们对人类生活的影响降到最低。
