Eye of the Storm
Short answer: NOAA describes a hurricane's eye as a relatively calm, generally clear area of sinking air, typically 20 to 40 miles across, where winds usually stay under 15 mph. An eye usually forms once sustained winds pass 74 mph.
Air flowing out of the top of the eyewall partly turns inward and sinks, warming and drying as it falls, which clears the clouds. The calm doesn't reach the sea, though. The National Hurricane Center's mariner's guide warns that in the eye of a strong storm, seas are near their maximum height and come from several directions, which can produce rogue waves. Eyes vary a lot in size. In 2005, Air Force reconnaissance found Hurricane Wilma's eye had shrunk to about 2 nautical miles across.
What should you know about Eye of the Storm?
Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.
Winds in a hurricane's eye usually stay under 15 mph (NOAA).
Seas in the eye of a strong hurricane can be near their maximum height (NHC).
Video transcript: Eye of the Storm: Calm Skies, Wild Seas
DID YOU KNOW? The eye of a hurricane is a calm, low pressure region at the center of the storm, typically ranging from 20 - 40 miles in diameter. Within the eye winds are relatively light, skies can be partly clear, and the sea surface is often much calmer than in the surrounding storm. This serene center is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most violent winds, intense rainfall, and severe turbulence occur.
Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 23.1s Reel ·
The write-up
Calm skies, wild seas. A hurricane's eye is calm overhead, but its waves can be near their peak.
- Exhibit A
The calm center
The eye is a pocket of sinking air with light winds, usually under 15 mph, and often clear skies. People caught in an eye passage at night can sometimes see stars.
- Exhibit B
Why it's clear
Air rising through the eyewall spreads out at the top of the storm, and some of it turns inward and sinks into the center. As it sinks, it compresses, warms and dries, which suppresses clouds.
- Exhibit C
The sea doesn't calm down
Waves generated by the eyewall's winds keep running into the eye from different directions. The NHC says seas in the eye of a strong storm are near their maximum and can produce rogue waves.
- Exhibit D
The eyewall
The eyewall is a ring of thunderstorms, typically 5 to 25 nautical miles wide, that holds the storm's strongest winds and heaviest rain.
- Exhibit E
Sizes vary
Typical eyes are 20 to 40 miles across, but some are far smaller. Hurricane Wilma's eye shrank to about 2 nautical miles in 2005, and Hurricane Patricia's was about 7 miles across in 2015.
Questions people ask about Eye of the Storm
According to NOAA, what's a typical eye diameter?
Typically 20 to 40 miles.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
What are seas like in the eye of a strong hurricane?
The NHC says seas there are near their maximum and come from several directions.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Why it's clear) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure; National Hurricane Center: Mariner's Guide for Tropical Cyclones
Why is the eye often clear?
Sinking air warms and dries, which suppresses clouds.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Where are a hurricane's strongest winds?
In the eyewall.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Whose eye shrank to about 2 nautical miles in 2005?
Hurricane Wilma.
Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Test Your Knowledge
All quizzes →5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.
According to NOAA, what's a typical eye diameter?
- 2-4 miles
- 20-40 miles
- 200-400 miles
- Over 1,000 miles
Show the answer
Answer: B. 20-40 miles Typically 20 to 40 miles. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
What are seas like in the eye of a strong hurricane?
- Near their maximum height
- Glassy calm
- Frozen
- Drained
Show the answer
Answer: A. Near their maximum height The NHC says seas there are near their maximum and come from several directions. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Why it's clear) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure; National Hurricane Center: Mariner's Guide for Tropical Cyclones
Why is the eye often clear?
- Sinking, warming air
- Cold rain
- Sunlight melts clouds
- Lightning
Show the answer
Answer: A. Sinking, warming air Sinking air warms and dries, which suppresses clouds. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Where are a hurricane's strongest winds?
- In the eyewall
- In the eye
- At the outer edge
- Above the storm
Show the answer
Answer: A. In the eyewall In the eyewall. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Whose eye shrank to about 2 nautical miles in 2005?
- Hurricane Wilma
- Hurricane Katrina
- Hurricane Andrew
- Hurricane Sandy
Show the answer
Answer: A. Hurricane Wilma Hurricane Wilma. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure
Cite this case file
Easterling, Marcus. "Eye of the Storm." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-712, last updated Apr 21, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/eye-of-the-storm/
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