The eye of a hurricane is a circular region 10–60 km in diameter at the cyclone's centre, where air sinks, winds calm, clouds partly clear, and pressure is lowest. It is surrounded by the eyewall, where the most destructive winds and heaviest rain are concentrated.
Danger of the calm
The eye's passage can give a false sense of safety: the sky clears, wind drops, and the sun may appear. However, the storm's second half arrives with opposite-direction winds and renewed intensity. A smaller, more defined eye generally indicates a more intense cyclone. "Eyewall replacement cycles" can cause temporary intensity fluctuations.