Hurricanes and tropical storms that hit North America or any place in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise. All cyclones and tropical storms in the southern hemisphere spin clockwise. The direction of a hurricane's spin is caused by a phenomenon called the
Why do hurricanes always spin counterclockwise?
Hurricanes spin counterclockwise (like all low pressure centers in the northern hemisphere) because of the Coriolis Effect. Because the equator rotates faster than other areas of the Earth's surface, anything moving in a straight line on a North to South axis will eventually curve.
Do hurricanes ever spin counterclockwise?
In fact, tropical cyclones — the general name for the storms called typhoons, hurricanes or cyclones in different parts of the world — always spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and spin in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
