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Stages of Development
from tropical depression to hurricane

Hurricanes evolve through a life cycle of stages from birth to death. A tropical disturbance in time can grow to a more intense stage by attaining a specified sustained wind speed. The progression of tropical disturbances can be seen in the three images below.

Tropical Depression Tropical Storm Hurricane


Terms for using data resources. CD-ROM available.
Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.