Known as typhoons in the Pacific, and tropical cyclons by meteorologists, hurricans claim more lives each year than any other storms. When a full-blown hurricane strikes, trees are ripped up and buildings flattened by raging winds, gusting up to 220 mph (360 km/h). Vast areas are swamped by torrential rain, and coastal regions can be completely overwhelmed by the "storm suge", This is a mound of water some 25 ft (8 m) high, sucked up by the storm's "eye" – the ring of low pressure at the stom's centre – and topped by giant waves whipped up by the winds. A Tropical Storm is a more organized version of a tropical wave and has higher winds than a Tropical Depression. It has winds from 40 MPH to 73 MPH (63 KH to 117 KH). In this stage, a circulation starts to form but usually not an eye. In this stage, the storm gets named.
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