3:50 pm - Monday February 17, 7575

Hurricane? cyclone? typhoon? What is the difference

Hurricane? cyclone? typhoon? They’re all the same, officially tropical cyclones.But they just use distinctive terms for a storm in different parts of the world.



Tropical cyclone is used in the southwest India Ocean; in the southwestern Pacific and southeastern India Ocean they are severe tropical cyclones. Strength: A storm gets a name and is considered a tropical storm at 39 mph (63 kph). It becomes a hurricane, typhoon, tropical cyclone, or cyclone at 74 mph (119 kph).


Australia has a different system for categorizing storm strength. Rotation: If they are north of the equator they rotate counterclockwise. If they are south, they rotate clockwise. Season: The Atlantic and central Pacific hurricane seasons are June 1 through Nov. 30. Eastern Pacific: May 15 to Nov. 30; northwestern Pacific season is close to all year, with the most from May to November.

The cyclone season in the south Pacific and Australia runs from November to April. The Bay of Bengal has two seasons April to June and September to November. Where is the busiest place?



The Philippines has its own naming system, so Typhoon Haiyan is also being called Yolanda. How does El Nino affect storms? During an El Nino – when the central Pacific is warming – there are fewer Atlantic storms. El Ninos shift where storms form, but not the number, for the northwest Pacific and the southwest Pacific. The central Pacific gets more storms during El Nino and the year after. This year has neither an El Nino nor its opposite, a La Nina. It is a neutral year.

-The news International



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