The center of a hurricane is a peaceful area of calm weather known as the eye.

The eye of a hurricane is a roughly circular area of light winds and fair weather at the center of a severe tropical cyclone. It is typically 20 to 40 miles (32 to 64 kilometers) in diameter, though some have been measured as small as 2 miles or as large as 120 miles. This phenomenon is created by the conservation of angular momentum and centrifugal force, which prevents the high-speed winds of the eyewall from reaching the absolute center.Inside the eye, air slowly sinks from the upper atmosphere rather than rising. This descending motion, known as subsidence, warms the air and suppresses the formation of clouds, leading to the clear skies often observed by reconnaissance aircraft like the NOAA Hurricane Hunters. The lowest barometric pressure of the entire storm is always found within this central region.Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, a towering ring of intense thunderstorms where the most severe winds and heaviest rains occur. The transition between the calm eye and the violent eyewall is incredibly abrupt, often happening in just a few seconds as the storm moves. This contrast creates the 'stadium effect' in very strong hurricanes, where the clouds of the eyewall curve upward and outward like the seats in a sports arena.Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center use satellite imagery and dropsondes to monitor the eye's size and pressure. A shrinking eye often indicates that the storm is intensifying, a process known as an eyewall replacement cycle. During these cycles, a new eye begins to form around the old one, temporarily weakening the storm before it potentially emerges even stronger.