We hear the words hurricanes typhoons and tropical cyclones used almost interchangeably sometimes. We felt we needed to understand these terms a little better with climate change pressing hard. So we stopped by the National Ocean Service website and found answers for all of our questions.
The Differences: Hurricanes Typhoons and Tropical Cyclones
We discovered there are more similarities than differences when it comes to hurricanes typhoons and tropical cyclones. In fact, a cyclone is either a typhoon or a hurricane. The only distinction between these is where it happens.
Both a hurricane and a typhoon are cyclones with maximum sustained winds exceeding 74 miles per hour. In the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific we call them hurricanes. Whereas in the Northwest Pacific, they call them typhoons. Additionally, the people in the South Pacific call theirs tropical cyclones regardless of the wind strength.
Watch Car Blown Away in Taiwan Typhoon
The Ingredients for Violent Cyclonic Storms
A ‘cyclone’ is a system of winds rotating inwards to an area of low barometric pressure. It has an anticlockwise (northern hemisphere) or clockwise (southern hemisphere) circulation.
Hurricanes typhoons and tropical cyclones all begin with a warm tropical ocean, weather disturbance, moisture, or relatively light wind. If the right conditions persist, they can produce violent winds and incredible waves. The torrential rains and floods are becoming more extreme with global warming leading to climate change.
If you find yourself in the path of one of these extreme events, however called, get the hell out the way. Did we get your attention with the H word? Well then it served its purpose. Our bodies are too soft and brittle to withstand the force of nature, so please be careful.
Possessions are worth far less than life, and they are worth nothing at all to us if we are dead. Sometimes we have to tell it the way it is. We hope you never have to be in a situation as such.
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Preview Image: An Extra-Tropical Cyclone Near Iceland
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