hurricane

A severe tropical cyclone; an intense storm rotating around a central eye.

THE HURRICANE OF AUGUST 1831. Calamitous as were the many eruptions of nature by which this island [Barbados] had suffered, the aggregate destruction produced by them was probably unequal to that effected by the storm of August 1831. That of 1675, according to the description given in history, very much resembled it in appearance, duration, and fury; but the extent to which human life was sacrificed is not on record. Although many persons then perished, it is reasonable to suppose that the numbers bore no proportion to those whose loss this mourning island now deplores. The hurricane of 1780, fearfully tremendous as it was, is admitted by all living witnesses to have been far much inferior in force, and less destructive to the country ; but its protracted continuance served to effect the damage then occasioned. […] Captain Charles Cooper, of the mail-boat schooner Friends, on his arrival from Trinidad, Grenada, and St. Vincent's, reported, that on the 23rd of June he had experienced a tremendous gale five leagues to the southward of Grenada. It continued without intermission for five hours, during the whole of which time the vessel was hove nearly on her beam ends. Captain J.MᶜGregor, of His Majesty's 1st or Royal Regiment, and other passengers were on board, and every one, as well as the master and crew, expected to have been entombed by the foaming ocean. At Grenada the gale was described as more severe than any that had been experienced since the hurricane of 1780. At an early hour in the morning "the sea became considerably agitated, and sent forth a noise, which, contrasted with the stillness of the atmosphere, inspired a strange and unaccountable feeling." The morning dawned with a heavy and perturbed sky, but it was not until near noon that the hurricane commenced. Between 3 and 4 in the afternoon the tempest had attained its height, after which it gradually moderated. The damage inflicted on the country was severely felt, but with one exception there was no loss of life.

Without going over the ground so well occupied by those able writers on the subject of storms — Redfield, Reid, Piddington, and Thom—it will be quite sufficient for our present purpose simply to notice the essential phænomena of revolving storms as manifested by the barometer and vane. The usual indications of a storm in connexion with these instruments are the falling of the barometer and the freshening of the wind, and it is generally considered that a rapid fall of the mercury in the hurricane regions invariably precedes the setting in of a storm. There are three classes of phænomena that present themselves to an observer, according as he is situated on the line or axis of translation, or in either the right or left hand semicircle of the storm. These will be rendered very apparent by a little attention to the annexed engraving, fig. 1. In this figure the arrow-head is supposed to be directed true north, and the hurricane—as is the case in the American storms north of the 30th parallel—to be moving towards the N.E. on the line N.E.–S.W. If the ship take the hurricane with the wind S.E.,— the letters within the two larger circles indicating the direction of the wind in the storm according to the rotation as shown by the circle of arrow-heads […]

A severe tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or in the eastern North Pacific off the west coast of Mexico, with winds of 119 km/h (74 miles per hour) or greater accompanied by rain, lightning, and th

Near-synonyms: typhoon, cyclone

Janice was a tropical depression 10 days ago, a tropical storm 5 days ago, and a hurricane yesterday and today.

A great forceful onrush.

[A]fter all thoſe Hurricans of Fury and Violence are novv blovvn over, vve enjoy a ſerene Air, and the happy quiet vvhich vve had ſo much long'd for.

A movement of women who wanted to win greater rights had to be able to move forward against a hurricane of lesbian-baiting from the political establishment of the Cold War capitalists.

A sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, lemon juice (or sometimes other fruit juice), and either passion fruit syrup or fassionola.

To be violent, with winds of 119 km/h (74 miles per hour) or greater, usually accompanied by rain, lightning, and thunder.

Through the night it rained, hurricaned; sashes rattled; the chimney smoked; a lobby-door was ajar, and kept banging to and fro.

So I got inside my 'possum-skin—it hurricaned an' snowed— And I started for the Deepot, and lit out for his abode.

To move noisily, quickly, and dramatically, becoming the center of attention.

While thus employed, Mrs. Winthrop hurricaned into the room, and having received explanations, hurricaned forth again to tell her husband how dreadfully thoughtless his arrangement was, since Frank would have to take Miss Allenby into dinner.

They must have told him I was ready for visitors; he hurricaned into the room, slung a chair away from the wall and banged it down next to the bed.

To attempt to accomplish a great deal with a frenzied effort.

There were still spots on the mirror I had cleaned and tiny bits of newspaper were stuck in its edges where I had hurricaned through in my initial cleaning frenzy.

"A clean home is a good home," she'd say as she hurricaned from room to room with vacuum cleaner and feather duster, hands gauntleted in Marigolds.

To swirl quickly and violently.

A whole swirl of turnarounds hurricaned from him.

Kona responded as air hurricaned out of the bay and water rushed in.

To tear apart in a violent, destructive, and/or chaotic manner.

Urganda, hurricaned with violent perturbation of mind commences the fourth act; and, after a soliloquy, or rather incantation, raises a dæmon of revenge;

My personal life has been hurricaned in the last month, not by the war particularly, but by having to decide not to “live in sin” after trying it for a few days.

"full—triple-full—full" – an acrobatic maneuver consisting of three flips and five twists, with one twist on the first flip, three twists on the second flip, one twist on the third flip