EyeThe calm center of the storm. It has sinking air, light winds and mostly clear sky. NOAA gives it as typically 20 to 40 miles across.
EyewallA ring of tall thunderstorms round the eye. It has the heaviest rain and usually the strongest winds. It leans outward as it rises.
RainbandsCurved bands of clouds and thunderstorms that spiral out from the eyewall. They bring bursts of heavy rain and wind, with gaps between them.
Other 5
InflowAir near the sea surface spiraling in toward the center. It turns counterclockwise north of the equator, clockwise south of it.
Rising airWarm, moist air rushing upward through the eyewall. There air rises fastest and the clouds reach their greatest height.
OutflowAir flowing out of the top of the storm. It turns the opposite way to the inflow below.
Sinking airSome air from the top of the eyewall turns inward. It sinks down the eye. Sinking air stops clouds forming, so the eye is clear.
Warm ocean waterIt is the storm’s fuel. NOAA says hurricanes form over ocean water of at least 80 °F (27 °C), and weaken fast once over land.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-28. (1) NOAA National Weather Service, JetStream, Tropical Cyclone Structure (archived copy of http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc_structure.htm, now https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropical/tropical-cyclone-structure): the main parts are the rainbands, the eye and the eyewall; air spirals in toward the center counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere (clockwise in the southern) and out the top in the opposite direction; air sinks in the center, forming a mostly cloud-free eye with winds that usually do not exceed 15 mph, typically 20 to 40 miles across; air ascends to form the eyewall, a ring of tall thunderstorms with heavy rain and usually the strongest winds; rainbands are curved bands of clouds and thunderstorms trailing from the eyewall in a spiral, with gaps between; typical hurricanes are about 300 miles wide. (2) NOAA JetStream, Tropical Cyclone Introduction (archived srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc.htm): warm ocean waters of at least 80 °F (27 °C) power the storm; it weakens over land without the ocean’s heat and moisture. (3) Wikipedia, Tropical cyclone, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone : air sinks at the center, making a clear eye, calm though the sea may be violent; the eyewall expands outward with height and has the greatest winds, fastest rising air, highest clouds and heaviest rain; the worst wind damage is where the eyewall crosses land; rainbands; outflow; sea surface temperatures of around 27 °C. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-28. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
What are the parts of a hurricane? The eye, the eyewall and the rainbands, plus the air moving through them. Here is one storm cut through its middle. Start with those 3.
Read the full guide
The eye and the eyewall
At the center is the eye, calm and mostly clear, where air sinks. Round it the eyewall, a ring of tall thunderstorms, has the heaviest rain and usually the strongest winds. When the eye passes over, the wind drops, then returns from the other direction.
How the air moves
Warm, moist air spirals in over the ocean (the inflow), rushes up through the eyewall, and flows out of the top (the outflow). Rainbands of shorter storms spiral out from the eyewall, with gaps of lighter rain between them.
The drawing is squeezed sideways to fit: NOAA says a typical hurricane is about 300 miles wide.
Questions and answers
What are the 3 main parts of a hurricane?
NOAA names the eye, the eyewall and the rainbands. The eye is the calm center, the eyewall the ring of strongest storms round it, and the rainbands the spiral bands farther out.
Why is the eye of a hurricane calm?
Air sinks down the middle of the storm, and sinking air stops clouds forming. Winds in the eye usually stay below 15 mph, though the sea under it can still be violent.
Where are the strongest winds in a hurricane?
In the eyewall. It has the fastest winds, the heaviest rain and the tallest clouds, and the worst wind damage happens where the eyewall crosses land.