When most people think of powerful hurricanes or typhoons, they imagine an area of low pressure with an eye and spiraling rainbands, but not all cyclones look alike.

Some of the more powerful cyclones become what are known as annular tropical cyclones, which resemble a tire or a doughnut shape.

Researchers from Colorado State University were some of the first meteorologists to label hurricanes as being annular during the early 2000s.

Generally, the cyclones have a large symmetric eye, surrounded by intense convection, but lack significant banding features.

Typically, only a few cyclones reach this annular stage, and they are mostly in the upper echelons of being a major hurricane.

A hurricane reaches major status when winds reach at least 115 mph, making the cyclone a dangerous Catego

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