There are certain things that are not immediately obvious about this state. One of them is whether it gets hurricanes or typhoons, and the answer is…
Does California get hurricanes?
No. But it does get typhoons. The fact is, typhoons are the same type of weather phenomenon as hurricanes, but while the Atlantic Ocean has only hurricanes, the western Pacific Ocean has both typhoons and hurricanes.
Contents
The fact that California does not get hurricanes does not mean that it never experiences severe weather. There are times during the year when severe thunderstorms can form here. Such storms can be just as dangerous as tropical storms, so people in coastal areas who are used to thinking it’s safe to stay home during bad weather should always heed severe thunderstorm warnings.
Why Doesn’t California Get Hurricanes?
California does not get hurricanes because in order for a hurricane to travel to California, it has to go a long way through colder ocean water. The colder ocean temperatures causes hurricanes to dissipate.
Will A Hurricane Ever Hit California?
It’s not unlikely that one day, a hurricane may make landfall in California. Whereas tropical storms dissipate when they get to colder waters, hurricanes get their energy from warm ocean water. As the ocean warms up (maybe due to global warming), it is more likely that hurricanes will make landfall in California.
Conclusion
It is a common misconception that California does not get hurricanes or typhoons. Granted, it gets neither, but the reason why is because the tropical storms/hurricanes cannot form over colder waters. So if temperatures continue to rise, Californians might have to prepare for a tropical calamity.