# Eye of the Storm (DD-712) > 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. - Department: Nature (also Science) - First published: 2026-04-21 - Last updated: 2026-04-21 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/eye-of-the-storm/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **2005**: Hurricane Wilma's eye shrinks to about 2 nautical miles across Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=eye-of-the-storm ## Quick facts - **DD-712-F01**: Winds in a hurricane's eye usually stay under 15 mph (NOAA). _(Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center))_ - **DD-712-F02**: Seas in the eye of a strong hurricane can be near their maximum height (NHC). _(Write-up · Exhibit C (The sea doesn't calm down))_ ## Write-up Calm skies, wild seas. A hurricane's eye is calm overhead, but its waves can be near their peak. 1. **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. 2. **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. 3. **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. 4. **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. 5. **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. ## Related case files - [Canadian Wildfires (DD-730)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/canadian-wildfires/): Another extreme-weather case - [Hurricane Helene (DD-560)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hurricane-helene/): I linked more hurricanes - [Supercell (DD-612)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/supercell/): Another rotating storm system - [Hail Storming (DD-633)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/hail-storming/): Another storm-science case ## Reel vs. record - **Wrong about the sea**: the sea in the eye isn't calmer. The NHC says seas there are near their maximum and come from several directions, which can produce rogue waves. - **Precision**: '20 - 40 miles' is typical, but eyes range widely. Wilma's eye shrank to about 2 nautical miles in 2005. - **Missing mechanism**: the eye is clear because air sinks into it from the top of the eyewall and warms as it descends (NOAA). - **Precision**: NOAA says winds in the eye usually stay under 15 mph, and an eye usually forms only once sustained winds pass 74 mph. - **Safety context**: a passing eye is a temporary lull. The far side of the eyewall brings violent winds again, often from the opposite direction. ## Video: Eye of the Storm: Calm Skies, Wild Seas - Duration: 23.1 s · Published: 2026-04-21 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DXZz_SqgQpf.mp4 ### Transcript 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. ## Questions & answers **Q: According to NOAA, what's a typical eye diameter?** A: Typically 20 to 40 miles. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure)_ **Q: What are seas like in the eye of a strong hurricane?** A: 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)_ **Q: Why is the eye often clear?** A: Sinking air warms and dries, which suppresses clouds. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure)_ **Q: Where are a hurricane's strongest winds?** A: In the eyewall. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure)_ **Q: Whose eye shrank to about 2 nautical miles in 2005?** A: Hurricane Wilma. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (The calm center) · NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure)_ ## Sources - [NOAA JetStream: Tropical Cyclone Structure](https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropical/tropical-cyclone-introduction/tropical-cyclone-structure) - [National Hurricane Center: Mariner's Guide for Tropical Cyclones](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marinersguide.pdf) - [WMO Global Guide to Tropical Cyclone Forecasting, Chapter 5](https://cyclone.wmo.int/pdf/Chapter-Five.pdf) ## 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/