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What’s the difference between a watch and warning, anyway? A hurricane guide

We’ll teach you all the terms

Trees bend in the tropical storm winds along North Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard as Hurricane Irma hits the southern part of the state (2017 file photo). (Chip Somodevilla, 2017 Getty Images)

Whether you just moved somewhere that gets threatened by hurricanes often or you’re just an avid weather-follower, of course you want to be in the know.

Eyewall? Storm surge? Latest track? Best track? What does it all mean?

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Knowledge is power. And with that, we thought we’d provide the following playbook. Yes, there is some science jargon involved here, so some terms might be easier to understand than others.

But regardless, we tried to break it down for you in a way that’s easy to read and digestible.

For more information, visit this website from the National Hurricane Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which provided the following definitions.


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