The term "Hurricane Graveyard" is most frequently used to describe Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This region is a "graveyard" in two senses: first, it is where many Atlantic hurricanes finally "turn" toward the north and east, often losing their tropical characteristics or being absorbed into larger weather systems. Second, the shifting sands and violent storms of this "Graveyard of the Atlantic" have caused thousands of shipwrecks over the centuries, many of which were driven ashore by hurricane-force winds and massive storm surges. Geographically, the area is vulnerable because the coastline "sticks out" into the Atlantic, directly into the path of the Gulf Stream and the common "re-curvature" tracks of major hurricanes. Sailors and meteorologists have long respected this stretch of water as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable in the Western Hemisphere. To this day, the remains of old wooden schooners can occasionally be seen emerging from the sand dunes after a particularly strong storm, serving as a physical reminder of the power of the hurricanes that pass through this coastal "graveyard."