The Difference between a Cyclone, Typhoon and Hurricane

Do you know the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone? People often think they are one in the same. It is confusing enough to try to keep up with the hurricane season and all the terminology, without having to decipher the difference between the three. All storms are the same after all, or are they? I found out that while they share common characteristics, they are still different. How are they different? Basically, the location is what gives the storm it's name.

If a storm was to form in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific Ocean, we would call it a hurricane. So basically every storm that endangers the United States is a hurricane. In recent years, we have all become quit familiar with hurricanes and their powerful force.

A typhoon is generally any storm that begins in the Western Pacific. So a storm that threatens Japan or the islands of Guam or the Philippines is called a typhoon. Winds from a typhoon usually are stronger than a hurricane, however they endanger far less land area due to their locations.

Cyclones are storms that begin in the Southern Pacific. They only are generated west of 160 east Longitude. They are not as prevalent as hurricanes because of the cold water temperatures. Generally, water temperates must be over 80 degrees in order to be conducive to any storm.

Recently however, there has been some controversy among the meteorological community as to the definition of a hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone. Some experts now refer to either a hurricane or a typhoon as a cyclone. Technically, when the definition of a cyclone is looked up in the dictionary, it states it is a storm with a mass of thunderstorms centered around a mass of rotating air, with an eye or center of calm air and winds, with blue skies. It states that the smaller the eye, the stronger the storm. This sounds like the definition we would attach to a hurricane.