Misty Bonham asks: "Why do hurricanes travel westward?"
Let's start with our weather patterns here in the U.S.. With the exception of Florida, the continental U.S. is generally located within the mid-latitudes, which stretch from 30 degrees north to 60 degrees north.
Mid-weather systems in the northern hemisphere typically move from west to east. But, in the subtropics where hurricanes typically form, the opposite is true.
Most hurricanes begin in the Atlantic as a result of tropical waves that move westward off the African coast.
In that area of the world, air rotates clockwise around a high pressure system, which creates an easterly, or southeasterly flow that pushes tropical storms and hurricanes to the west.
The Earth's spin curves the wind to the right of its direction of travel in the northern hemisphere.
If it weren't for the Earth's rotation, hurricanes wouldn't even exist; wind would just blow in a straight line.