What are tropical storms?

Tropical storms are like big, powerful waves in the sky that move across the ocean and can bring rain and wind to places far away.

Imagine you're playing with a toy boat in a bathtub. When you splash water around, it makes little ripples. Now imagine doing that, but way bigger, on a huge ocean, and for days or even weeks. That’s kind of what happens when a tropical storm forms.

Tropical storms start near the equator, where it's warm. Warm water gives energy to the air above it, making it rise and swirl, like when you blow on hot soup and it starts to bubble. As the air rises, cooler air rushes in below to take its place, creating wind.

If this happens over and over, it can turn into a storm, with strong winds and heavy rain, just like when you shake a bottle of soda and then open it, causing a fizz burst!

Once they're formed, tropical storms move across the ocean, sometimes growing bigger and stronger as they go. When they reach land, they can cause flooding or even hurricanes if they get really big, like when your wave in the bathtub finally drowns your toy boat!