EXPLAINERWith this year’s hurricane season under way, Al Jazeera visualises the differences between various storm systems.Hurricane Erin became the Atlantic Ocean’s first hurricane of the season – which runs from June 1 to November 30 – rapidly intensifying to Category 5 on Saturday before weakening to Category 2 on Tuesday.While the storm remained far out at sea, it still generated major waves along the United States East Coast. Officials in North Carolina’s Outer Banks warned of coastal flooding and issued evacuation orders.On its path were the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos, with swells reaching the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast and Atlantic Canada. The storm’s rapid intensification, reaching Category 5 in a short span, ranks it among the fastest-strengthening hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Scientists have linked such rapid intensification to climate change, as global warming increases atmospheric water vapour and ocean temperatures, providing hurricanes with more fuel to strengthen quickly and unleash heavier rainfall.Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies.The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publishes an alphabetical list of names for upcoming tropical cyclones. These names are meant to be short, easy to pronounce, appropriate across languages and unique.Erin was the fifth named storm of the season but became the first hurricane because the previous four storms never reached hurricane strength. (Al Jazeera)Are hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons the sa …
