Why is the eye of the hurricane rain and cloud-free?
358125
A circular force like that must have a center.  If it did not, it would collapse (it would not be a cyclone).  The winding traveling in such a direction, and at high speed, pulls the contents out of the center (into the stream of the wind), just as it does in the outer most circles of it.  Thus, the center is clear of wind and rain.\n\nThe wind forming that clear center is much like water rushing down (to) a sink drain.  ... I don't know if I can explain it better than that... My mind is stuck (for words)...   :)
292918
It tends to be over land, because precipitation forms because of water saturation of the atmosphere; this doesn't really change too much on the open ocean.  But inland, there is a loss of water saturation, therefore clouds containing saturated water will tend to precipitate water (rain).
380970
Hurricanes are intense low pressure  areas that form over warm ocean waters in the summer and early fall. Their source of energy is water vapor  which is evaporated from the ocean surface. Water vapor is the "fuel" for the hurricanes because it releases the "latent heat of condensation" when it condenses to form clouds and rain, warming the surrounding air. (This heat energy was absorbed by the water vapor when it was evaporated from the warm ocean surface, cooling the ocean in the process.) Usually, the heat released in this way in tropical thunderstorms is carried away by wind shear, which blows the top off the thunderstorms. But when there is little wind shear, this heat can build up, causing low pressure to form. The low pressure causes wind to begin to spiral inward toward the center of the low. These winds help to evaporate even more water vapor from the ocean, spiraling inward toward the center, feeding more showers and thunderstorms, and warming the upper atmosphere still more. The showers and thunderstorms where all of this energy is released are usually organized into bands (sometimes called "rainbands" or "feeder bands"), as well as into an "eyewall" encircling the center of the storm. The eyewall is where the strongest winds occur, which encircle the warmest air, in the eye of the hurricane. This warmth in the eye is produced by sinking air, which sinks in response to rising air in the thunderstorms. The winds diminish rapidly moving from the eyewall to the inside of the relatively cloud-free eye, where calm winds can exist.\nhurricane eyes seen from the Space Shuttle and from aircraft\nHurricane intensity is based upon the highest sustained (1 minute average) wind speed the hurricane is producing. The "Saffir-Simpson" scale rates hurricane strength in this way from Category 1 to Category 5. These categories were chosen based upon the amount of damage that each category can produce.\nIntensity Wind Speed Damage\nCategory 1 74- 95 mph MINIMAL: tree branches, shrubs, unanchored mobile homes\nCategory 2 96-110 mph MODERATE: mobile homes, poorly constructed buildings, some trees down\nCategory 3 111-130 mph EXTENSIVE: small buildings damaged, large trees down, mobile homes destroyed\nCategory 4 131-155 mph EXTREME: outer walls damaged, roof failure on small buildings, extensive damage to doors and windows, mobile homes destroyed\nCategory 5 >155 mph CATASTROPHIC: complete roof failure on many buildings, some buildings destroyed, severe window and door damage, mobile homes destroyed\nIn low-lying areas, much of the damage from hurricanes can be from the "storm surge", in which water being blown onshore by the high winds rises rapidly. The storm surge can destroy the lower floors of some buildings, or even destroy the foundations of residences causing the homes to wash away. The storm surge can also trap residents from evacuating along low-lying escape routes.\n\nHurricanes almost always travel poleward at the end of their life cycle, helping to transport excess heat out of the tropics toward higher latitudes. They gradually die as they move over cooler waters, which do not have the heat energy necessary to evaporate sufficent water vapor into the atmosphere to fuel the hurricane. If the hurricane crosses over to land, the heat source is removed entirely. With the removal of the energy source, and the greater surface friction of the land's terrain and vegetation, the hurricane's winds rapidly decrease.
762703
High pressure systems are composed of cool, "stable" air.  Cool air is heavier than warm air, so the air pressure is relatively "high."  Usually, this means cool, dry weather with minimal cloudcover.  Winds also blow anticyclonically (opposite of the Coriolis Force, caused by the Earth's rotation).\n\nLow pressure systems are composed of warmer (--> lighter) and more unstable air masses.  These conditions are favorable for storms to develop.  Winds blow with the direction of the Coriolis Force, which is a prerequisite for the formation of cyclones (tornadoes, hurricanes, water spouts, et al).
266861
Hurricanes typically don't produce much lightning, but sometimes they can.\n\nHere is a website with some investigation about this.\n\n http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd16jun99_1.htm
326877
Hurricanes are strong wind storms, which are cyclonic in nature. This means that they revolve around a central point, which is known as an ‘eye’. The eye is the calmest part in the storm, while the winds raging around the storm have reached a speed of 119 km an hour! The winds rotate in an anti-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere, and in a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere. \n\n\nHow are hurricanes formed? \n\nHurricanes are formed in tropical, ocean areas. The warm air above the ocean begins to rise, and as it rises, it condenses and forms clouds and rain droplets. The process of condensation always results in the release of heat. So when the heated air rises and releases heat during condensation, the surrounding air also becomes warm. This warm air rises further, and then gets blown away by the high altitude winds, and cold air is pushed down to the ocean. The cold air then becomes warm because of the warmth of the ocean, and rises up again and is blown away. In addition, converging winds over the ocean (winds that run into each other) also push the ocean air upwards. Since the ocean air is in any case rising when they are warmed, the converging winds make it rise even faster. Thus, due to these phenomena, the movement of air increasingly becomes more and more rapid. \n\n\nWhat are tornadoes? \n\nFar more violent than hurricanes are tornadoes. Winds surrounding tornadoes often reach speeds of 100 miles an hour, and have even reached speeds of 300 miles an hour. \n\n\nHow are tornadoes formed? \n\nTornadoes are usually formed from thunderstorms and can be defined as a violent column of air extending from the base of a thundercloud to the ground. To put it simply, thunderstorms that rage in the sky ‘drop’ what appears to be a rope, but is actually a gust of wind moving in a circular direction. When this ‘rope’ touches the ground, it wreaks havoc. \n\nTornadoes are formed in a similar manner as hurricanes. Warm, moist air rises up and condenses, releasing heat and forming a thundercloud and rain. (Tornadoes are thus often accompanied by rain, and can cause flooding.) This continuous rise of air upwards is called an ‘updraft’, and a low pressure area is created in the center. High pressure cold winds are then sucked inwards, and the colliding forces causes the thunderstorm to rage. \n\nThese clouds are often green in colour, and at times the sky too turns green – a phenomenon that scientists still don’t have an explanation for. Hurricanes and tornadoes are similar to the extent that they both have a cyclonic movement, which means that they rotate around an eye. A tornado’s movement, as we have seen, is far swifter and more centered. \n\n\nHow are tornadoes ranked? \n\nTornadoes are ranked on a six-tiered “Fujita Scale”. A rank of F0 means that the tornado is weak and has caused a minimal of damage, while a rank of F6 means that the tornado was severe and has caused many deaths and damage to property. The vortex of a tornado is a dangerous place to be because here is where there is maximum rain and hail.
301656
Heavy rain affects its range. Fog has no effect.
48800
A hurricane begins when a warm, wet mass of air over the sea begins to rise quickly. Then combined actions of air, water and heat may then produce a huge, spinning system of clouds, rain and wind- a hurricane. The center, or eye, of a hurricane is calm. It is a hole in a dough-nut of wind. \nA hurricane usually lasts 9-12 days. It forms and builds strength over warm sea water. It loses energy as it moves over cooler sea water or land.
489229
No.  You'd probably be in the eye of the hurricane, which is basically the hole in the center that the storm rotates around.  It's calm for a couple of hours and then the storm picks up again.  Of course, if the eye has already passed, it's probably fine ;)
454900
Well you see, not all clouds are the same: Here are some different types of clouds, that don't rain at all.\n\nCirrus Clouds\nCirrus clouds are the most common of the high clouds. They are composed of ice and are thin, wispy clouds blown in high winds into long streamers. Cirrus clouds are usually white and predict fair to pleasant weather. By watching the movement of cirrus clouds you can tell from which direction weather is approaching. When you see cirrus clouds, it usually indicates that a change in the weather will occur within 24 hours.\n\n\nCirrostratus clouds are thin, sheetlike high clouds that often cover the entire sky. They are so thin that the sun and moon can be seen through them. Cirrostratus clouds usually come 12-24 hours before a rain or snow storm.\n\n\nCirrocumulus clouds appear as small, rounded white puffs that appear in long rows. The small ripples in the cirrocumulus clouds sometime resemble the scales of a fish. Cirrocumulus clouds are usually seen in the winter and indicate fair, but cold weather. In tropical regions, they may indicate an approaching hurricane.\n\n\n"Alto" Clouds\nAltostratus clouds are gray or blue-gray mid level clouds composed of ice crystals and water droplets. The clouds usually cover the entire sky. In the thinner areas of the clouds, the sun may be dimly visible as a round disk. Altostratus clouds often form ahead of storms with continuous rain or snow.\n \n\nAltocumulus clouds are mid level clouds that are made of water droplets and appear as gray puffy masses. They usually form in groups. If you see altocumulus clouds on a warm, sticky morning, be prepared to see thunderstorms late in the afternoon.\n\n\nStratus Clouds\nStratus clouds are uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these clouds.\n \n\nStratocumulus clouds are low, puffy and gray. Most form in rows with blue sky visible in between them. Rain rarely occurs with stratocumulus clouds, however, they can turn into nimbostratus clouds.\n\n\nNimbostratus clouds form a dark gray, wet looking cloudy layer associated with continuously falling rain or snow. They often produce precipitation that is usually light to moderate.\n\n\nCumulus Clouds\nCumulus clouds are white, puffy clouds that look like pieces of floating cotton. Cumulus clouds are often called "fair-weather clouds". The base of each cloud it flat and the top of each cloud has rounded towers. When the top of the cumulus clouds resemble the head of a cauliflower, it is called cumulus congestus or towering cumulus. These clouds grow upward and they can develop into giant cumulonimbus clouds, which are thunderstorm clouds.\n\n\nCumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds. High winds can flatten the top of the cloud into an anvil-like shape. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with heavy rain, snow, hail, lightning and even tornadoes. The anvil usually points in the direction the storm is moving.\n \n\nSpecial Clouds\nMammatus clouds are low hanging bulges that droop from cumulonimbus clouds. Mammatus clouds are usually associated with severe weather.\n\n\nLenticular clouds are caused by a wave wind pattern created by the mountains. They look like discs or flying saucers that form near mountains.\n\n\nFog is a cloud on the ground. It is composed of billions of tiny water droplets floating in the air. Fog exists if the atmospheric visibility near the Earth's surface is reduced to 1 kilometer or less.\n\nContrails are condensation trails left behind jet aircrafts. Contrails form when hot humid air from jet exhaust mixes with environmental air of low vapor pressure and low temperature. The mixing is a result of turbulence generated by the engine exhaust.\n\nhope this helps :-).
1035040
The reason it doesn't rain is because the area is located under an almost permanent high pressure system.\n\nThat is because the surface air rises at the equator due to the higher temperatures. As the equatorial air rises it cools and the water condenses out and fall as rain. The cold air then falls back to the surface in those two sub-equatorial belts. The air at this stage is depleted of all moisture, and because the air is falling it creates a high pressure system that prevents rain producing weather systems from developing.\n\nThat is a fairly simplistic summary of some complex weather systems, but it suffices to explain why most of the Arabian Peninsula is desert.
644338
This just a model. So don't take it as the actual thing.\n\nThink of a liquid as made up of very tiny balls (atoms). This ball are constantly on the move with different velocities. (The faster the velocity the bigger is the temperature of the liquid.) Some are faster some are slow. But most of them them move at a speed fairly near the average speed of all the balls. Those fortunate fast ones may have enough energy to leave the surface of the liquid, this is evaporation.\n\nSo basically what happens is, the hot headed balls leaving the cool headed ones behind. This translate to the liquid being cooled.\n\nOne way to help the hot headed balls to evaporate faster is to lower the pressure that push them down the liquid surface. This can be accomplished by letting the gas or air around the liquid to move, moving air has lower pressure. (That's the reason why hurricanes with pouring rain are accompanied with a low pressure weather forecast.)\n\nSo bask in front of an electric fan and blow that sweat away.
1140075
You raise an excellent question because coriolis forces caused by the direction of the eye with respect to the spin of the earth are very important in organizing the storm and its direction of rotation and natural rotation is reversed on opposite sides of the equator.  However, hurricanes have been known to stall or even reverse direction before continuing.  The hurricanes take enormous quantities of heat from the warm sea water and build up organized momentum that may have a life all its own.  When you let water out of bath tubs, there is a natural force (coriolis) that spins the whirlpools in opposite directions north and south of the equator; but you can start the whirlpool in the wrong direction buy hand and it will continue due to momentum.
688371
nothing good, radioactive rain spread over millions of acres of land and water. waste of time and energy.\n\na class 3 hurricane has the force of 10 hiroshima bombs going off every second, one more would not matter in the disruption of the wind and rain field. \n\nbut just as an experiment it is a bad idea. in the 1960's they tried cloud seeding in the edge of hurricanes, it made them stronger and rain more.
655206
This has to do w/ the way it forms in clouds.\n\nAs warm moist air rises, it will expand & cool. When it reaches the dew point, it will condense on particulates in the air such as pollen, dust, salts, pollution, etc. This is the formation of a cloud.\n\nThe condensation nuclei described above is the primary source for the shape of the raindrop that may eventually form from the cloud.\n\nAs the water droplets bump into each other, they will begin to stick, growing larger & larger.\n\nWhen wind currents can no longer hold up the droplets, gravity wins the tug-of-war & the droplet will fall.\n\nSome people mistakenly believe that raindrops are "teardrop" shaped. This is not true. They are spherical as they fall through the atmosphere. That is until they hit something.
784427
Cyclones,hurricanes and typhoons are caused by warm tropical moister bearing clouds developing in open oceans or seas,as the atmosphere becomes favorable for development,(no wind sharing in the higher parts of the atmosphere)normal thunder storm or clump together,as the system gets larger the the pressure fall within it,what causes a system to go anti clock wise is the earth spinning on its axis(in the southern hemisphere cyclones and etc, spins in reverse when compared to the northern hemisphere).\n\nWith the help of trade winds which stares these immense giant weather systems across areas of the planet,also. but the main thing to is that they all start out as small disturbances,or low pressure areas that come into favorable areas for development. \n\nThe same is also almost true for northers or nor_Easters along the east coast of the US in winter months.\n\nOr if you are talking about tornadoes,well that the process of cold air from the north clashing with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico,as both air bodies moves along side each other a funnel shape spiral is form,this normally occur es at best in super cell charged thunder cell,due to day time heating or the leading edge of a cold front,the jet stream in this case does the staring of All weather phenomenons across the USA,and the direction at which the spiral goes is anti clock wise,caused by the earth spinning on its axis.hope this helps.
408184
BECAUSE THOSE AREAS MIGHT HAVE HIGH HILLS WHERE THE CLOUDS HIT HARD AND RAIN .MIGHT BE THE LOW AREAS AND FINALLY DUE TO CLOSE TO SEAS