Hurricane vs. Typhoon vs. Cyclone
Hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone aren't different storms — they're the same thing, a tropical cyclone, named differently by region. Here's which name goes where, why they spin in opposite directions north and south of the equator, and whether typhoons are really stronger.
Hurricane, typhoon, cyclone — people often think these are different kinds of storms. They're not. They're the same weather phenomenon, a tropical cyclone, called different names depending on where in the world it forms. Same storm, different name Hurricane — the name used in the North Atlantic and the Northeast and Central Pacific (the Americas). Typhoon — the same storm in the Northwest Pacific (around Asia — Japan, the Philippines, China). Cyclone — the name in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean (around Australia, India, and East Africa). All three are tropical cyclones: warm-core, low-pre…
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