I thought hurricanes in the Pacific were called typhoons. What's the diff between hurricanes and typhoons?

Answer 1

There is no difference except in naming convention. Storms in the Pacific are generally called typhoons, but ones (like Hurricane John) that start north of the equator and east of the international dateline are called hurricanes, just like those in the Atlantic.

Depending on their current basin and intensity, tropical cyclones may be referred to using one of many different terms, and each basin uses a separate system of terminology, making comparison difficult. Tropical cyclones which cross from one basin into another may then be referred to as a tropical cyclone of the type in the new basin rather than its original basin. This, however, is only common in the Pacific Ocean, where hurricanes from the Central North Pacific sometimes cross into the Northwest Pacific and are called typhoons. On very rare occasions, a typhoon will cross into the Central Pacific and become known as a hurricane. No other types of basin crossings that would result in a change of term have been recorded.

In the North Atlantic and Northeastern Pacific, as well as the Central North Pacific, tropical storms which attain wind speeds of 74 miles per hour (119 km/h) or higher, or hurricane-force on the Beaufort wind scale, are then referred to as hurricanes.

In the Northwestern Pacific, systems that have sustained winds measured at hurricane-strength on the Beaufort scale are referred to as typhoons.

Coincidentally, in 1994 there was another storm called John, that started as a hurricane, moved across the dateline and was called a typhoon then returned to the east to again be called a hurricane.

It's all very confusing!

Answer 2

You are basically correct in that they are the same things.

Most people reserve the name "typhoon" for those hurricanes which occur in the Western Pacific Ocean. Those close to North America are usually still called Hurricanes.

Answer 3

We (USA) call them hurricanes, regardless where they form. The UK calls them hurricanes if they form in the Tropics anywhere in the world. The countries in the far East call them typhoons & have their own process for deciding what is & what is not a typhoon.

See the link to Wikipedia, for more info on the differences/if any.

Answer 4

Nothing exept the place that they form. E.g. Hurricanes form in the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean sea.
Typhoons form in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean near China and Japan.

Answer 5

When they are in the Pacific but east of the International Date Line, they are hurricanes, but when they cross that imaginary line they become typhoons. It's all just semantics of course.

Answer 6

hurricances and typhoonsa re the same. the only thing differnt abotu them is the location. in the west pacific (asia/ south pacific) they are called typhoons int he u.s. they are considered hurricanes, but there is no difference between them =)

Answer 7

It's like "What's the difference between a twister and a cyclone and a tornado?" or "What's the difference between a tidal wave and a tsunami?"

They are the same thing.

Answer 8

Both are the same. They just differ geographically in terms. Eventhough some may say they differ according to their speed and velocity, but they both are the same.

Answer 9

They spin in different directions.

Never mind looks like I was wrong.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar97/857937588.Es.r.html