Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) Practice Exam 2026 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Mastery!

The phenomenon characterized as a large rotating low-pressure system with heavy precipitation and strong winds is a hurricane. Hurricanes are powerful storm systems that form over warm ocean waters, typically in tropical regions, and they can cause significant damage due to their strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Hurricanes develop when warm, moist air rises and creates an area of lower pressure beneath it. This process draws in more air, which also warms and rises, forming clouds and releasing heat that fuels the system further. The rotation of the Earth causes these storms to twist and develop the characteristic spiral shape.

While typhoons are similar storms that occur in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, and tornadoes are smaller, more intense storms that can occur over land, hurricanes are specific to their formation in warm ocean waters and their scale. Storm surges, on the other hand, refer to the rise of water generated by a storm, particularly hurricanes, which can lead to coastal flooding but do not describe the storm system itself.

Thus, when discussing large rotating low-pressure systems, hurricanes are the correct designation due to their specific characteristics and impacts.