The answer to this question is a significant indicator as to how claims are handled by insurance carriers.
So, let us determine what constitutes a hurricane. Here are some of the conditions that must be met:
1) Low pressure system.
2) Warm temperatures over the ocean.
3) Moist environment (precipitation).
4) Tropical wind patterns over the equator.
Once these conditions are met, a hurricane must have sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or more. The eye of the storm is usually 20 to 30 miles wide and may extend over 400 miles. The inherent dangers of this type of storm are torrential rains, high winds and storm surges. A hurricane can last for two weeks or more over open water and run a path the entire length of the Eastern seaboard.
On average, 100 tropical storms develop each year between May and November over the Atlantic Ocean. Only six eventually develop into hurricanes and of these six, two are likely to strike the coast of the United States. The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1 and ends on November 30 of each year, with the most active time being from mid-August through mid-October. The winter hurricane threat is virtually non-existent.