What is the difference between a cyclone, a typhoon, and a hurricane?

[mickeysgal]

Australia just got hit with a cyclone. I never understood what the difference is between these three types of storms. Does anyone know? Are they called different names because of the regions of the world that they're found? Are any one of them typically stronger than the others?

 

[disneynutt1225]

It's a regional thing. Typhoons occur in the Northwest Pacific, hurricanes are in the Atlantic basin and North Pacific Ocean, and cyclones are in the South Atlantic Ocean.

 

[bicker]

Same thing; different names.

 

[Dan Murphy]

It's like pop, soda and Coke.

 

[goofy4tink]

Aren't cyclones and tornado's the same thing?? I thought they were just different names for 'twisters'....I know that hurricanes and typhoons are pretty much the same, just different areas of the world...seems that typhoons occur where there is more water mass as in the Pacific, while we have hurricane's here in the US.

 

[Brianne]

I was wondering that myself this morning so I'm glad you asked.

 

[bicker]

From Wikipedia:

In meteorology, a cyclone is the rotation of a volume of air about an area of low atmospheric pressure. Cyclones are responsible for a wide variety of different meteorological phenomena such as tropical cyclones and tornadoes. Because of this, most weather forecasters avoid using the term cyclone without a qualifying term.

The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone". A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation (Holland 1993).

 

[Galahad]

Don't they rotate in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere? - or am I just thinking of water going down the drain?

 

[CapeCodTenor]

It's like pop, soda and Coke.

Best way to describe it. There's nothing different about them except for the name.

 

[Galahad]

Best way to describe it. There's nothing different about them except for the name.

Well, don't forget that typhoon rhymes with lagoon......

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Well, don't forget that typhoon rhymes with lagoon......

How could I ever forget that?