The Hurricane Track Simulator is based on a simplification of the basic factors that cause hurricanes to move. The primary effect is that the storm simply moves with the wind from the much larger weather systems surrounding the storm. These weather systems are represented by idealized easterly (from east to west) trade winds near the equator, westerly winds further north, the Bermuda high pressure system, and a low pressure area near the U.S. east coast. In reality, the structure of the wind surrounding the storm is much more complicated and changes with time as the hurricane moves. Also, the northwesterly drift due to the storm is much more variable than that included in the hurricane simulator. However, these simplified wind patterns are able to generate reasonable storm tracks.