Final answer:
Sustained surface winds in a hurricane are 119 km per hour (74 mph) or higher, distinguishing it from a tropical storm, and are strongest in the eyewall, not in the eye of the hurricane. The correct answer is option b.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the characteristics of sustained surface winds in a hurricane. The correct answer to the question is that these sustained winds are 119 km per hour (74 mph) or higher. This threshold is what differentiates a tropical storm from a hurricane. Contrary to what one of the answer choices suggests, the winds are not always greater than 250 km per hour. Additionally, the strongest winds are not found in the eye of the hurricane; in fact, the eye is the calmest part of the storm. On the other hand, the eyewall, which surrounds the eye, has the most intense and destructive winds, not the weakest. It's important to note that the power of a hurricane can increase dramatically as wind speed increases, due to the power scaling with the cube of wind velocity.