Every year between June 1 a­nd November 30 (commonly called hurricane season), hurricanes threaten the eastern and gulf coasts of the United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. In other parts of the world, the same types of storms are called typhoons or cyclones. Hurricanes wreak havoc when they make landfall, and they can kill thousands of people and cause billions of dollars of property damage when they hit heavily populated areas.

Hurricane Image Gallery

People walk in a flooded street in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, on May 3, 2008, after a cyclone. AFP/Getty Images
People walk in a flooded street in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, on May 3, 2008, after a cyclone.
See our hurricane image gallery.

In this article, we'll discuss how hurricanes form and move, and look at the destruction and damage they can cause. We'll also examine how meteorologists track hurricanes.