Panama City condominium damaged by Hurricane Opal
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FEMA

Storm Strength

A tropical cyclone is a storm that forms in the tropics. A hurricane is one kind of tropical cyclone. In fact, it's the strongest tropical cyclone.

Tropical cyclones are given names by how strong their winds are. Here is a list of the different names given to the storms:

Tropical Disturbance: Winds weak and unorganized
Tropical Depression: Winds less than 39 mph
Tropical Storm: Winds 39 to 74 mph
Hurricane: Winds greater than 74 mph

Also, scientists use a hurricane's wind speed to predict how much damage it will do.

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