What natural phenomenon develops when warm, moist air rotates around the eye of a storm?

Prepare for the GACE Middle Grades Science Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and explanations. Ace your exam!

The phenomenon that develops when warm, moist air rotates around the eye of a storm is a hurricane. This weather system forms over warm ocean waters, where the heat and moisture from the water provide energy to the storm. As the warm air rises, it creates a low-pressure area at the surface. Surrounding air rushes in to fill this low-pressure zone, causing the warm, moist air to rotate around the calm center, known as the eye.

The structure of a hurricane is characterized by its rotating masses of clouds and rain, which can lead to powerful winds and heavy precipitation. The intensity of a hurricane is measured by the Saffir-Simpson scale, which rates storms based on their wind speeds and potential to cause damage.

The other options represent different meteorological phenomena. A blizzard involves heavy snowfall and strong winds in cold temperatures, a typhoon is essentially the same type of storm as a hurricane but occurs in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, and a thunderstorm is a more localized storm that may produce rain, thunder, lightning, and sometimes hail, but does not exhibit the large-scale rotation or organization found in hurricanes.

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