"Hurricanes almost always form over ocean water warmer than about 80 degrees F. in a belt of generally east-to-west flow called the trade winds. They move westward with the trade winds and also drift slowly poleward.

Do hurricanes move in a westward direction?

Answer: The average hurricane moves from east to west due to the tropical trade winds that blow near the equator (where hurricanes start). ... Normal storms, on the other hand, move west to east due to the strong jet stream. Naturally, being nature, hurricanes do not always follow this pattern.

Do hurricanes initially move west?

It's certainly true that, in general, weather systems move from a westerly to an easterly direction in the mid-latitudes, but almost all hurricanes form and initially travel in the subtropics. ... That means all weather systems, including tropical cyclones, move approximately westward.