Hurricane vs. Typhoon?

Question

Why is that in the Atlantic they call it a Hurricane, but in the Pacific they call it a Typhoon? I know they're the same thing and such but was there any specific meaning behind it?

Answer 1

Typhoons can be much larger then Hurricanes probably because the Pacific Ocean is much larger. Just look at Typhoon Tip, the most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Tip

And compare that to Hurricane Wilma, the most powerful hurricane in the Atlantic Basin.

Answer 2

Monsoon=cyclone=hurricane=tropical storm=typhoon

Answer 3

Hurricane is a Carib word; typhoon is a Chinese word. Hurricanes are found in the Caribbean Sea, typhoons are found in the South China Sea. The storms were named independently. In the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, they are called tropical cyclones.

Answer 4

Seriously, the only difference is that Hurricanes are in the Atlantic and Typhoons are in the Pacific. I am guessing that Typhoon is the Asian name for Hurricane. I'm not sure if that's correct so don't trust it.

Answer 5

"Hurricane" and "Typhoon" redirect here. For other uses, see Hurricane (disambiguation) and Typhoon (disambiguation).
A tropical cyclone is a meteorological term for a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and thunderstorms that produces strong wind and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on the heat released when moist air rises and the water vapor it contains condenses. They are fueled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms such as nor'easters, European windstorms, and polar lows, leading to their classification as "warm core" storm systems.

The adjective "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, and their formation in Maritime Tropical air masses. The noun "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with counterclockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on their location and strength, tropical cyclones are referred to by various other names, such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, and tropical depression.

While tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds and torrential rain, they are also able to produce high waves and damaging storm surge. They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their strength if they move over land. This is the reason coastal regions can receive significant damage from a tropical cyclone, while inland regions are relatively safe from receiving strong winds. Heavy rains, however, can produce significant flooding inland, and storm surges can produce extensive coastal flooding up to 25 mi (40 km) from the coastline. Although their effects on human populations can be devastating, tropical cyclones can also relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat and energy away from the tropics and transport it towards temperate latitudes, which makes them an important part of the global atmospheric circulation mechanism. As a result, tropical cyclones help to maintain equilibrium in the Earth's troposphere, and to maintain a relatively stable and warm temperature worldwide.

Many tropical cyclones develop when the atmospheric conditions around a weak disturbance in the atmosphere are favorable. Others form when other types of cyclones acquire tropical characteristics. Tropical systems are then moved by steering winds in the troposphere; if the conditions remain favorable, the tropical disturbance intensifies, and can even develop an eye. On the other end of the spectrum, if the conditions around the system deteriorate or the tropical cyclone makes landfall, the system weakens and eventually dissipates.

Answer 6

It all depends upon which culture experienced them and came up with a word for them. Asian : typhoon, European/US: hurricane, and Indian: cyclone.

And for the previous answerer, the Japanese term for "divine wind" is kamikaze. This was the term given to the storm winds that came up and blew the Chinese invasion fleet off course. Because they needed another intervention to drive away the Allied fleet in WWII, they gave this name to their suicide pilots.

Answer 7

HURRICANES ARE IN THE ATLANTIC AND IN THE PACIFIC TOO. I LIVE IN HAWAII AND WE GET HURRICANES. I BELIEVE ONCE THE STORM PASSES THE DATELINE IT IS A TYPHOON. ALSO, IF IT'S IN THE INDIAN OCEAN IT IS A CYCLONE. THEY ARE ALL THE SAME THING, JUST CALLED BY DIFFERENT NAMES.

Answer 8

Thypoon is what the Japanese call hurricanes. In Japanese it means "wind of god." They call it that because the Chinese were attempting to invade Japan, but their fleet was destroyed by a hurricane. The Japanese thought it was god destroying their enemies, and so call it Typhoon.

Answer 9

The previous person confused the word "kamikaze" with Typhoon. The word "taifū" (台風) in Japanese means Typhoon; the first character meaning "pedastal" or "stand"; the second character meaning wind.

Answer 10

hurricane rotates counter clockwise typhoon rotates clockwise