Hurricane Related Questions

[DukeStreetKing]

I know the square orange/red flag with the black square in the middle means there is a tropical storm and two orange/red flags with black squares means a hurricane, but who came up with this system and why those colors?

Also, can someone explain millibars and how they relate to hurricanes? Why does a higher number create a lesser hurricane and vice versa?

Thanks.

 

[jrydberg]

As to millibars, that's measuring the air pressure. Hurricanes are essentially areas of very low pressure. Given the right conditions, the low pressure system can develop into a hurricane that actually pushes air away from the center of the system, lowering the pressure even more. The pressure difference between the hurricane and the surrounding area accounts for the VERY strong winds. Air rushes toward the low pressure area to fill the gap. Unfortunately, in the case of a hurricane, the gap is recreated constantly by funnelling the air upward and outward.

 

[Big V]

How a hurricane forms