Hurricane Alex

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This satellite picture shows Hurricane Alex breezing past us with sustained winds of 105mph (170km/h). Apart from the rain you would never know this monster is just a couple of miles off the coast. One thing that always amazes me is the proliferation of natural diasters in the USA. In the 5 years since I've been here I've experienced a hurricane (West Palm Beach, Florida), tornado (Raleigh, North Carolina), earthquake (San Jose, California), and George Bush ;-) Trivia for the day: A hurricane is a tropical storm with winds that blow in a large spiral around a relative calm center known as the "eye". The "eye" is generally 20 to 30 miles wide, and the storm may extend outward 400 miles. Hurricane winds in the Northern Hemisphere circulate in a counterclockwise motion around the hurricane's center or "eye," while hurricane winds in the Southern Hemisphere circulate clockwise (known as the Coriolis Effect). August and September are peak months during the hurricane season that lasts from June 1 through November 30.