Atlantic hurricane wind and rain map
Hurricanes form over warm tropical water, mostly between June and November, and this view is centred on the region where they develop. It combines animated surface wind with rainfall, so you can recognise a strong system by its shape.
A mature storm has two signs. In the rain layer it appears as curved bands of heavy rain spiralling into a compact centre. In the wind, streamlines circle that centre anticlockwise, and the fastest air forms a ring close to it. Switch to the Pressure layer to see the very low centre, often below 980 hPa.
Weaker systems look like open waves or broad, loose swirls of scattered showers. They may or may not develop. Watch how the swirl tightens as you move through the forecast, and how the flow of the surrounding trade winds steers it west.
This is a global model with a 0.25 degree grid, around 28 kilometres, which is too coarse to resolve the sharp core of a storm, so winds in the centre are underestimated. For official warnings and the position of named storms, always rely on national hurricane services.