On Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:50:49 -0700, John Ross Mc Master wrote:

From the BBC so it must be the truth

BBC weather forecaster Michael Fish was left famously red-faced when, on
the eve of the Great Storm of 1987, he assured the British public there
would be no "hurricane".

Though he failed to predict a ferocious storm was about to turn north
and hit the UK, he was correct on the hurricane point.

Britain cannot experience hurricanes - the word is used for tropical
cyclones when they form in the Atlantic and north-east Pacific.

These are low pressure systems which develop over tropical or
sub-tropical waters - not the cold waters around Britain - which become
"cyclones" once wind speeds reach 74mph (119km/h).

If a hurricane did head for Britain it would be reclassified as an
"extra tropical storm" before arriving.

Such storms can be powerful - but even if the winds exceeded 74mph it
would not be called a hurricane.

In any case the storm currently expected to hit the UK is no such thing.
Far from forming over warm waters, it is expected to form close to the
coast before hitting the South West and heading across the country.

So, if a tropical storm forms over the Atlantic, grows to have winds
strong enough to classify it as a hurricane, and the winds were still
moving at hurricane speeds when it reaches Britain, it would not be
classed as a hurricane? The usage in America is to continue to call such
a storm a hurricane as long as the winds are above 74 mph.

--
John F. Eldredge --
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.