About This Lesson
This video segment explores how hurricanes develop. The segment is part of the NASA SCIFiles program, which features the Tree House Detectives, a group of young students who work together to solve everyday problems. In this segment, the detectives learn that high and low pressure systems are caused by the uneven heating of Earth's surfaces. An animation shows how low pressure regions over the ocean gather heat and become stronger, creating areas of rising and sinking air. There is also a discussion about where the hurricane's strongest winds are located and when hurricane season takes place.