For good measure, here are two galleries of hurricane images:

• Gallery of 1995 Atlantic Hurricane Images (DMSP)
• Gallery of 1995 Northwest Pacific Typhoon Images (DMSP)

links to current weather satellite images:

• Current USIR (GOES 8)
• Current Western Hemisphere (GOES 8 visible-IR composite)
• Most Current GOES-9 IR MPEG of Eastern Pacific & Western U.S.

and a general set of weather and climate links.

How does this complex behavior arise? The most general answer is that it is a consequence of (1) solar heating, and (2) effects associated with the rotation of the Earth. In the next section we address these issues explicitly.