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(CNN) -- Here's a look at what you need to know about the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
Facts: The National Weather Service defines a hurricane as "an intense tropical weather system with well-defined circulation and sustained winds of 74mph (64 knots) or higher."
The peak of the season is from mid-August to late October.
In the Western Northern Pacific, hurricanes are called typhoons.
Similar storms in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.
Hurricanes are rated according to intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
The 1-5 scale estimates potential property damage.
A Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane.
A hurricane watch indicates the possibility that a region could experience hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
A hurricane warning indicates that tropical-storm-force winds of at least 74 mph are expected within 36 hours.
Hurricane Development: There are three stages of development: tropical depression to tropical storm to hurricane.
Tropical depression - when a cluster of thunderstorms organizes under the right atmospheric conditions for a long enough time, with winds near the center constantly between 20 and 34 knots (23 - 39 mph).
Tropical storm - a tropical depression that has intensified to the point where its maximum sustained winds are between 35-64 knots (39-73 mph). During this time, the storm itself becomes more organized and begins to become more circular in shape -- resembling a hurricane. This is when the storm is named.
Hurricane - develops from a tropical storm as surface pressures continue to drop, and sustained wind speeds reach 64 knots (74 mph), with a pronounced rotation developing around the central core.
Hurricane Categories: From NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating based on the hurricane's present intensity.
It estimates potential property damage and flooding expected along the coast from a hurricane landfall.
Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale.
Category One Hurricane Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 km/hr).
Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal.
No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees.
Some damage to poorly constructed signs and coastal road flooding with minor pier damage.
Category Two Hurricane Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 km/hr).
Storm surge is generally 6-8 feet above normal.
Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers.
Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the hurricane center.
Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings.
Category Three Hurricane Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr).
Storm surge is generally 9-12 ft above normal.
Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtain wall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large tress blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed.
Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center.
Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by battering of floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more.
Evacuation of low-lying residences within several blocks of the shoreline may be required.
Category Four Hurricane Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 km/hr).
Storm surge is generally 13-18 ft above normal.
More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows.
Low-lying escape routes may be cut off by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center.
Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may flood, requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km).
Category Five Hurricane Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr).
Storm surge is generally greater than 18 ft above normal.
Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage.
Low-lying escape routes cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center.
Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline.
Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required.
Names: Once a storm system with counter-clockwise circulation and wind speeds of 39 mph or greater is identified by the Tropical Prediction Center near Miami, a name from the list is assigned to the storm
There are 11 regional lists of names, Atlantic, Eastern North Pacific, Central North Pacific, Western North Pacific, Western Australian Region, Northern Australian Region, Eastern Australian Region, Fiji Region, Papua New Guinea Region, Philippine Region and Southwest Indian Ocean.
Using women's names became the practice during World War II, following the use of a woman's name for a storm in the 1941 novel "Storm" by George R. Stewart.
In 1979, the list of hurricane names for the Atlantic regions began to include male names.
Six separate name lists are developed and agreed upon by the World Meteorological Organization.
The lists are rotated every six years.
Names associated with storms that have caused significant death and/or damage are retired from the list. Camille (1969), Andrew (1992), Opal (1995), Floyd (1999), Ivan (2004), Katrina (2005), Ike (2008) and Sandy (2012) have all been retired from the list. Once a name is removed, another name replaces it.
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A woman uses a parasol to block the sun's rays at the Bund, a popular tourist spot in Shanghai, China, on August 7.
A person dangles from a power line before diving into the Ganges River in Allahabad, India, on Tuesday, August 6, after heavy monsoon rains.
A man takes a nap at a recreation area in Salt Springs, Florida, on August 6.
A boy jumps into the Zegrze Lake near Warsaw, Poland, on August 6 to cool off during a heatwave.
A boy takes in the scenery at Malvarrosa Beach in Valencia, Spain, on the Mediterranean on Monday, August 5.
Lightning illuminates the sky near Görlitz, Germany, on Sunday, August 4.
A woman wears her clothes backward against the scorching sun in Jinan, China, on August 4.
A man prepares to secure his boat on the Ravi River in Lahore, Pakistan, on August 4.
Women in maid costumes throw water to the ground in the Akihabara shopping district in Tokyo on Saturday, August 3. They were taking part in an annual summer event to cool off the street.
People watch a paraglider as they hike on the Niesen mountain in Switzerland, Friday, August 2. Temperatures reached 86 degrees Fahrenheit in central Switzerland.
People relax in the sun in Victoria Park in London, on Thursday, August 1.
People sunbath on lawns near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, on August 1.
People take shelter from the heat in the entrance of a subway station in Shanghai, on Wednesday, July 31. More than 10 people have died in China's commercial hub, a local health official said as the city swelters in its highest temperatures for at least 140 years.
Children take the plunge to cool off in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Monday, July 29.
Men relax at a lake near Erfurt, Germany, on Sunday, July 28.
People fly kites during the Bali Kite Festival in Denpasar, Indonesia, on Saturday, July 27.
Umbrellas are out in force at an intersection in Hong Kong on Thursday, July 25.
A young elephant cools down with snow delivered to the Whipsnade Zoo near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England, on July 25.
During a rainstorm Wednesday, July 24, wild ponies are herded into the Assateague Channel for their annual swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague, Virginia, to be auctioned off.
Boys dive into the cool water of the swimming pool "Schwanseebad" in Weimar, Germany, Tuesday, July 23. Meteorologists forecast the hot and sunny weather to continue in the country.
People make their way past a building clouded by a thick layer of mist on Monday, July 22, after torrential rain in Pyongyang, North Korea.
People cross a flooded road near the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad, India, on July 22. According to Hindu tradition, a bath at the confluence of three rivers -- the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati -- atones for sin.
Sunflowers blossom on a field near Langerwisch, eastern Germany, on July 22.
A man tries to make a phone call on Friday, July 19, in a flooded restaurant in Kunming, China, in the wake of Typhoon Soulik.
Hudson the polar bear plays with a block of ice to cool down at the Brookfield Zoo during a massive heat wave on Thursday, July 18, in Brookfield, Illinois.
A girl plays in the fountain called "Appearing Rooms," by Danish artist Jeppe Hein, in central London on July 18. The United Kingdom is experiencing a second week of heatwave conditions.
Swimmers enjoy the sunshine at an outdoor pool in central London on Wednesday, July 17.
Mason Kraft, 5, keeps cool at the Highland Park Splash Pad in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, on Monday, July 15.
Sailboats dot Lake Ammersee, near Herrsching, in southern Germany on Saturday, July 13.
Rescuers evacuate residents with an excavator on Wednesday, July 10, after a landslide hit Wenchuan, China. Flooding that triggered the landslide reportedly has affected 1.5 million people.
A man reads a book in the sunshine on steps covered in artificial grass on July 10 in London.
A waterspout comes ashore in Oldsmar, Florida, on Monday, July 8. Authorities say the waterspout caused damage to the shingles of a home and knocked down tree branches and a mailbox, but no injuries were reported.
Heavy rains force people to walk across a flooded road and leave vehicles trapped on a viaduct in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, on Sunday, July 7.
A man jumps into East Lake in Wuhan, the capital of central China's Hubei Province, on Wednesday, July 3.
A lightning strikes the San Nicolas Panotla community in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, on Tuesday, July 2.
R.J. Hernandez, 8, of El Campo, Texas, is buried in sand as he tries to stay cool in Santa Monica on Friday, June 28.
A fisherman casts a net on the fog-enveloped Xiaodongjiang River in Zixing, China, on Tuesday, June 25.
Kayakers cast off from a boathouse on the Potomac River in Washington on June 25.
A strong line of thunderstorms approaches the Capitol with heavy rain and winds on Thursday, June 13, in Washington.
A dog finds a spot on a rubber raft among groceries and bottles of butane as his owner pulls him through a flooded street in Elster, Germany, near the swollen Elbe River on Friday, June 7.
A boy cools off under a water tanker in New Delhi on Tuesday, June 4.
A cat seeks dry ground after flooding from the Vltava River in Kly, Czech Republic, on June 4.
Torrential rains leave Wehlen, Germany, flooded on June 4.
People cool off in a fountain at Washington Square Park in New York at dusk on Friday, May 31, as temperatures reached the 90s.
Indian youth jump from a wall into the Nizamuddin Baoli on a hot day in New Delhi, India, on May 28.
Heavy fog fills San Francisco Bay as seen from Sausalito, California, as the city's skyline struggles to peak through on May 28.
Sunbathers celebrate the Memorial Day weekend in Long Branch, New Jersey, on Monday, May 27. Jersey Shore beaches are reopening as the region recovers from Hurricane Sandy.
Rubble lines a wet street in a tornado-devastated neighborhood in Moore, Oklahoma, on Thursday, May 23. Severe thunderstorms barreled through this Oklahoma City suburb at dawn Thursday, complicating cleanup efforts three days after a powerful tornado ripped through the area.
A funnel cloud stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19. As many as
A boy cools off in a watering hole in Allahabad, India, on Saturday, May 18, where temperatures have reportedly reached 117.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
A dandelion seed reflects in a rain-covered path in Sieversdorf, Germany, on May 18.
Rescuers carry residents across a badly damaged road after heavy storms hit Hejiaqiao township in central China's Hunan province.
A woman passes along the seafront as the rain falls in Weston-Super-Mare, England, on Tuesday, May 14.
A sandstorm sweeps through Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, May 13.
People take shelter under umbrellas during a boat ride in heavy rain on the Spreewald Canals near Luebbenau, Germany, on Sunday, May 12.
Rain doesn't deter an outing in Jersey City, New Jersey, and even a view of Lower Manhattan despite the fog on Thursday, May 9.
A woman exits a cab during a rainstorm on Wednesday, May 8, in New York.
People soak up the spring sunshine on the River Cam on Monday, May 6, in Cambridge, England.
Two men drive cattle across the crocodile infested Tana River in Keny'as Tana delton on May 3. Flooding from heavy seasonal rains has killed more than 60 people and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.
People in the Morazan neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, sort through the remains of their possessions after heavy rains left two people missing and destroyed streets and homes.
A lone fan watches snow fall during a delay in play between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, May 2. The game was postponed because of the weather.
Snow covers an outdoor bar in downtown Golden, Colorado, after a spring storm dumped more than a foot of snow on Wednesday, May 1. In nearby Denver, the average date for the last snow of the season is April 26, but the record for the latest snowfall was set June 12, 1947, according to the National Weather Service.
A bee harvests nectar on a sunflower as temperatures soar into the 90s on Saturday, April 27, in Quezon City, Philippines.
A man pours water over children swimming in an inflatable swimming pool to beat the heat in Manila, Philippines, on Friday, April 26.
Fields and meadows are flooded by the waters from the Oder River near Lebus, Germany, close to the border with Poland, on April 26. The meadows along the Oder are regularly flooded during spring.
A Pakistani motorcyclist crosses a flooded street after heavy rain in Peshawar on April 26. Pakistan has suffered devastating monsoon floods for the last three years, including the worst in its history in 2010, when catastrophic inundations killed almost 1,800 people and affected 21 million.
Horses and jockeys return to stables in damp weather at the Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Friday, April 26. Preparations are under way for the upcoming Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
Arnold Gropper, left, and Werner Simm fish at Lake Forggensee on Thursday, April 25, near Füssen, Germany.
Chef Paul Prudhomme heads to the Zurich Classic Pro-Am clubhouse at TPC Louisiana as officials order the evacuation of all temporary structures after a tornado warning in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 24.
The grounds crew covers the field at Fenway Park in the eighth inning because of rain during a game between the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, April 23, in Boston.
People take in the spring sunshine at Parade Gardens in Bath, England, on April 23.
A camel herder guides his animals during a sandstorm on the edge of Khartoum, Sudan, on Saturday, April 20.
Hector Duran uses his bike to get through floodwater on Friday, April 19, in Des Plaines, Illinois. The suburban Chicago town is battling rising floodwater from the Des Plaines River.
Children still feel the bite of winter weather in Taiyuan, the capital of north China's Shanxi Province, on April 19.
Sunshine bathes the banks of Inner Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday, April 18.
Dark clouds hang over the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on April 18.
Debris litters a river after a tornado and hailstorm hit Zhenyuan County in China's southwest Guizhou Province on April 18.
People make their way along Champa Street in downtown Denver during a spring storm on Wednesday, April 17.
A man rides a bike during a heavy sandstorm in Yecheng county, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Tuesday, April 16.
A woman feeds a pig in her yard during a flood in the Belarus village of Snyadin near the Pripyat river on April 16.
A sandstorm strikes Baghdad on April 16, during a rally where the head Shiite Muslim leader Ammar al-Hakim was speaking.
A youth jumps into a water well to cool off in Hyderabad, India, on Wednesday, April 10.
Warm spring weather finds New Yorkers relaxing along the East River in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, April 9.
Cherry blossoms bloom in Washington on Monday, April 8. A colder-than-normal March and chilly April delayed the beginning of the cherry blossom season. Peak bloom was originally predicted between March 26 and March 30.
People enjoy sunny spring weather, a break from an unusually cold spring, near the Louvre Pyramid at the Cour Carree of the Louvre Museum on Sunday, April 7, in Paris.
A passenger ship makes its way through a channel to the Swedish island of Husaro on Friday, April 5.
Tourists travel on a ferry near blooming cherry blossoms on the Okazaki Canal in Kyoto, Japan, on April 5.
Villager Fu Xianxing, 70, walks on a dried-up field Tuesday, April 2, in Suining, China. A severe drought has caused a shortage of drinking water in the area in southwest China's Sichuan province.
Children play on the beach in Gaza City during a dust storm on Monday, April 1.
Snowboarders and skiers wait to take a ski lift at Feldberg Mountain in Schwarzwald, Germany, on Friday, March 29.
A supermarket semi-truck passes icicles and ice-covered shrubs near Hazeley Bottom, England, south of Reading, on Wednesday, March 27.
A road sign peeks above a flooded street in Badolatosa, Spain, on Monday, March 25.
Snow covers the shrubbery around the White House on Monday, March 25.
Snow collects on a man sleeping on a bench early Monday, March 25, in Washington, D.C.
U.S. soccer player Clint Dempsey, No. 8, is surrounded by snow during a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier match between Costa Rica and the United States in Commerce City, Colorado, on Friday, March 22.
Cherry blossom trees are bloom in Tokyo on Friday, March 22, in a sure sign spring has arrived in Japan.
Cold weather keeps Britons bundled up as they cross the London Bridge on March 22.
A bicyclist pulls a child on a sled through the snow on Thursday, March 21, in Berlin.
A tornado leaves scaffolding in tatters on Wednesday, March 20, in Daoxian, China.
Paramilitary guards walk along a street following an overnight snowfall in Beijing on March 20.
World War II veteran Sam Melnik, 90, shovels snow from his driveway on Tuesday, March 19, in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
A jogger runs across a snow-covered street in Berlin on March 19.
A woman takes a picture of the blooming almond orchards as spring arrives in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Monday, March 18.
The aurora borealis lights up the sky at twilight on Sunday, March 17, between the towns of Are and Ostersund, Sweden.
Trees are covered with ice on Saturday, March 16, near the town of Klina, Kosovo.
An early flower is seen through a blanket of melting snow at the Palmengarten botanical gardens in Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, March 14.
Cows search for edible grass in drought-stricken paddocks on March 12 in Waiuku, New Zealand. Drought was declared in several North Island areas last week, including South Auckland, Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
Brief but heavy snowstorms move across the Yorkshire moors on Monday, March 11, in the United Kingdom.
A nun walks through the rain under an umbrella in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday, March 10.
A cyclist makes his way along a snowy track near Ladmanlow, United Kingdom, on March 10 as a return of freezing temperatures and snow delay springtime weather for Great Britain.
A Chinese woman covers her head with a scarf as she walks near Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Saturday, March 9, as strong winds and dust storms swept the Chinese capital.
Fog shrouds a dog and its owner as they walk beside Bourne Brook, in Toft Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, on Friday, March 8.
A pedestrian walks past a mural at the beginning of a winter storm in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Thursday, March 7.
People walk as snow falls at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, March 6.
People stand under the snow-covered "Cloud Gate" sculpture, commonly known as "the bean," on Tuesday, March 5, in Chicago, Illinois.
Left to right: Anthony Jordan and his 6-year-old twin sons Griffin and Landin shovel their driveway in Sycamore, Illinois, on March 5.
Lightning strikes over Jakarta's skyline late on March 3 during monsoon rains.
Tourists enjoy donkey rides on Filey Beach on March 2 in Filey, England.
A man covers his face as he walks around Tiananmen Square during a sand storm in heavily polluted weather in Beijing on February 28.
A man and a dog cross the flooded graveyard in the village of Monospitovo, Macedonia, on February 27. Torrential rains poured down on the Strumica Valley, destroying or damaging crops and households.
Ducks fly over the frozen Titisee Lake in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany, on February 27.
Frost-covered plants are seen on banks of the Usiazha River near the Belarus village of Usiazha, on February 26.
A person walks through the snow at Marienplatz in Munich, Germany, on February 26.
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