Final answer:
Hurricanes in North America generally form in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, moving northwestward with a counterclockwise rotation due to the Coriolis effect, then curving northward or northeastward towards the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season.
Step-by-step explanation:
The general path that hurricanes in North America typically follow is influenced by a combination of factors, including the warm ocean waters, the presence of low-pressure systems, and the Coriolis effect. Hurricanes that affect North America most commonly develop over waters warmer than 80 °F in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. As these storms form, they are propelled by prevailing winds and steered by the Earth's rotation. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis force imparts a counterclockwise rotation to these storms.
Typically, hurricanes move in a northwestward direction as they are steered by the mid-latitude westerlies and the subtropical high-pressure systems. As they approach North America, they tend to move towards the west, then curve northward and occasionally northeastward, often affecting the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The exact path can vary significantly based on the weather patterns present at the time of the hurricane.
Notably, hurricane season in the North Atlantic occurs between June and November, with most hurricanes forming in the hurricane belt, a region that includes the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea. In some cases, these powerful systems reach inland areas, traveling through regions such as the Appalachian Mountains down to areas like Okefenokee and the Everglades, described as the Atlantic Wildway.