An artist's idea of how a hurricane would look if it were cut in half vertically so you could see the inside. The separate rainbands are visible, and arrows show the wind patterns in the storm.
This image shows four views from a 3D visualization of a hurricane that has been chopped in half vertically. Two of the views are from the side, and two are from a 45-degree angle, looking down at the hurricane. Two of the views show the cloud surfaces as solid white and grey, while two of them show the cloud surfaces in wireframe.
The hurricane's eye is surrounded by the stormy eyewall, which extends outward as it goes up. Surrounding the eyewall are four rainbands, like rings around the hurricane. Six arrows, labeled "1", point upward from the ocean surface into each of the rainbands and both sides of the eyewall. Two arrows, labeled "2", run parallel to the water surface between the rainbands, describing counterclockwise spirals inward toward the eye. One long spiraling arrow, labeled "3", starts at the water surface in the eyewall, and spirals counterclockwise upward toward the top of the hurricane.
This image shows a hurricane's eyewall ringed by five progressively shorter rainbands extending from right to left. The rainbands are cut vertically revealing green, yellow, orange, and red shading inside. The tops and outer left and right edges of each rainband are green, which indicates light rain. The shading changes from green to yellow toward the center of each rainband. Three of the rainbands have red and orange shading, which indicates heavy rain in their lower core areas. The outer rainbands are shorter and weaker than the inner ones. There is a circled number 1 on one of the rainbands, with a caption that says "Rainbands typically are 3-30 miles wide and up to 300 miles long."
This image shows a vertical cross section of a typical rainband. The upper section and left and right sides of the cross section are shaded green, indicating that there is less liquid water and rain at the edges. Yellow, orange, and red shades toward the lower center indicate moderate to heavy rainfall totals. The number "1" references a caption that says "Rainbands produce heavy rainfall, as much as 25 cm (10 in.) per hour.
An inset image, indicated by the number "2", shows a radar image of a hurricane. Rainbands are indicated by the semi-circles of yellow and orange that are interspersed with green and blue areas of light rain between the bands.
This image shows two cutaway views of a hurricane eye and eyewall. In the top image, cloud surfaces are shown in white and grey. In the bottom image, cloud surfaces are shown by the wireframe contours.
The eye (indicated by the number "1") is clear and free of clouds. Around it is the eyewall (indicated by the number "2"). Arrows point upward from the ocean surface into the eyewall indicating upward airflow. Another long arrow (labeled "3") shows the path of warm moist air as it enters the eyewall near the surface and spirals counterclockwise upward as it cools. The cooling is indicated by a gradual transition in the arrow color from orange at the surface to blue at the top of the hurricane. When the air reaches the top, part of it spreads outward, and starts to turn clockwise. Another part of the high-level air is drawn into the eye, where it warms as it sinks, as indicated by the arrows labeled "4", which start out blue at the top but turn orange as they point downward into the eye.
Numbers on the graphics are linked with the following captions:
- Eye: light winds, partly cloudy or clear skies. Average diameter 20-50 kilometers.
- Eyewall: Heaviest precipitation and strongest winds.
- Spiraling winds in eyewall.
- Sinking air.
This image shows two cutaway views of a hurricane's upper regions. In the top image, cloud surfaces are shown in white and grey. In the bottom image, cloud surfaces are shown by the wireframe contours.
An upward spiraling arrow, labeled "1", transitions to blue (indicating cold temperatures) as it reaches the top of the hurricane. Then it spirals outward from the center with a clockwise turn. Fluffy white cirrostratus clouds (indicated by the number "3") spread out and cover the upper areas where the air flows out.
Two smaller arrows, labeled "2", flow out from the highest level of the spiral, pointing downward into the hurricane's eye. These arrows start out blue but transition to orange as they go down, indicating the warming that occurs as air descends into the eye.
Numbers on the graphics are linked with the following captions:
- Air flowing out from the center of the storm (outflow).
- Air sinking into the storm's center, warming and suppressing clouds. Winds are calm.
- Cirrostratus clouds capping the storm.
This image shows a wide, rounded mound of water (indicated by the circled number 1) on the ocean surface beneath a hurricane. This rise in the sea level can produce devastating flooding when a hurricane strikes land, particularly if it is combined with high tides.
