I’m mostly interested in how a hurricane “ends”; but I am assuming that in order to understand the mechanics of what stops a hurricane, I’ll need a basic understanding of what starts a hurricane (of which I currently have zero). What’s the science behind this observed weather phenomenon??
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In: Physics
I’m not an expert in this by any means but here is what I know. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Hurricanes gain strength as they go through warm waters, hence most of the powerful hurricanes happen in the tropics. So for a hurricane to “end” it either has to make landfall, therefore cutting off its power supply (in a sense), or it has to travel into colder waters. Think of Dorians current projected path. As it makes landfall in Florida / Georgia / The Carolinas, it will start to lose steam and then as it makes its way up the coast into the North Atlantic states (generally much colder ocean waters) it will gradually fade until it “ends”
Hurricanes feed off warm water. Once a hurricane hits a landmass, or travels into cooler water, it loses the warm, moist air it needs to keep its strength and convection and begins falling apart.
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