What scale classification do hurricanes fall under?

Hurricanes are categorized under the macroscale classification, which encompasses larger systems that operate on the synoptic scale. The synoptic scale typically refers to weather features that are generally over a few hundred kilometers and last several days, making it a suitable classification for hurricanes. These massive storms arise from large-scale atmospheric conditions and are influenced by factors that can span vast areas of the atmosphere.

The mesoscale category consists of weather phenomena smaller than the synoptic scale, generally ranging from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers, which includes things like thunderstorms or small-scale weather systems but not hurricanes. Microscale refers to weather events on the order of meters to kilometers, such as local wind patterns or very localized convection. The planetary scale includes phenomena that occur over areas larger than the synoptic scale and timescales that can span weeks to months, like global wind patterns.

Thus, the classification of hurricanes as macroscale aligns with their extensive size and prolonged duration, supporting their categorization within the synoptic scale framework.