A hurricane is a powerful, organized tropical cyclone that forms over warm tropical or subtropical oceans and gains strength from heat and moisture released from the sea. It features strong rotating winds around a calm center (the eye) and heavy rainbands surrounding it. Hurricanes are categorized from 1 to 5 based on sustained wind speeds, with higher categories indicating greater potential for damage. They typically originate in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or eastern Pacific, and can travel long distances, bringing extreme winds, storm surge, heavy rainfall, and flooding to coastal and inland areas.