What is a tropical wave and how do they turn into hurricanes?

Before a hurricane earns a name and threatens land, it often begins as something smaller and lesser-known: a tropical wave.

What exactly is a tropical wave and why does it matter?

Tropical waves are clusters of showers and thunderstorms that are the seedlings of many of the storms that develop throughout the Atlantic hurricane season.

"Tropical waves originate over Africa as hot, dry air from the north clashes with moist, cooler air from the jungles in central Africa to create a jet stream of winds over portions of the continent," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said.

They roll off the coast of Africa near the Cabo Verde Islands and track over the Atlantic Ocean every few days, typically from May to November, like a conveyor belt of storms that is most active as the hurr