What is the difference between a cyclone and a hurricane?

Question

I don't want the definition of a typhoon. I want the scientific explanation of the differences. THANKS!!

Answer 1

A "cyclone" is a very basic term and is just an area of relatively low pressure at any level (surface, mid-level, or upper level) of the atmosphere with winds circulating around the center of the low. The flow circulating around the low should be closed at least in areas that are nearest to the center of the low. A cyclone can be a large scale system like a hurricane or the usual winter "Gulf of Alaska upper level low pressue system", or it can be a smaller scale system like a mid or upper level cut-off low, or it can be a much small scale system like a tornado. A cyclone can occur just about anywhere on this planet as long as it fits the above general definition.

A hurricane is a cyclone, but it belongs in a special class of cyclone known as tropical cyclones. A tropical cyclone must fit the following criterias in order to fit in the tropical cyclone definition:

1. It must be a warm core low pressure system. Unlike the winter low pressure systems where as you move closer to the center of the low, the temperature gets colder. A tropical system, as you move toward the center, it gets relatively warmer.

2. A tropical system has no synoptic type of fronts. You will never see a Hurricane with a warm and cold front attached from the center of the low or eye of the storm and extending out away the center. Other non-tropical systems, you generally see cold, warm, stationary, or occluded fronts associated with these types of lows.

3. A tropical system will have the strongest winds at the low level of the atmosphere or near the surface. A non-tropical system will likely have the strongest winds aloft or in the mid to upper levels of the atmosphere.

4. A tropical cyclone are not associated with a strong jet stream. A non-tropical cyclone will likely be located along or near an upper level jet stream or what some call the "upper level river of air".

So you may say a hurricane is a special kind of cyclone. Not all cyclone are tropical. A tropcial system must meet the tropical definition that tropical storms and tropical depressions and hurricanes must also meet.

I hope this explanation clears this all up for you and that I did not blind you with science.

Answer 2

As defined by the National Weather Service

Cyclone
An area of low atmospheric pressure that has a closed circulation. Cyclones (or more commonly called "low pressure areas") rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. They usually bring about clouds and precipitation

Hurricane
A warm-core tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind (using the U.S. 1-minute average) is 64 kt (74 mph or 119 kph) or more. The term hurricane is used for Northern Hemisphere cyclones east of the International Dateline to the Greenwich Meridian. It has a diameter of 250 to 500 miles and a cyclonic circulation typically extending to near 50,000 feet. It is called a Typhoon in the western Pacific north of the Equator and west of the International Dateline, a Cyclone in the Indian Ocean, and Baguio in the Philippines area.

to Learn more see the following Link.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/srh/jetstream/tropics/tc.htm

Answer 3

confident I agree that those words would properly be puzzling. in the beginning Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cyclones are each and every of the comparable. all of them are available in from the sea and are powered via the warmth waters, for this reason why we don't get them in the united kingdom. Hurricanes are what English people call them. Typhoons are eastern and Cyclones are the different Asians. Tornadoes are thoroughly distinctive they arrive while warm air and funky air meet and puncture a layer above and then a twister starts off to look and dad out of the clouds and hits the Earth Please don't get mixed up between those 2 they're like opposites to one yet another.

Answer 4

A cyclone = a tropical depression in the southern hemisphere.
The difference is that the cyclone rotates counter-clockwise.

A cyclone can form into a typhoon or a hurricane just like a tropical depression can form into a hurricane.

A typhoon = a hurricane that crosses the International Date Line, west, in the direction of North and South America. So if you are in Australia or Southeast Asia you would call a Hurricane a Typhoon.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_typhoon
"Pacific typhoon refers to tropical cyclones forming in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The basin is demarcated within the Pacific Ocean from Asia, north of the equator, and west of the international date line. Storms from the Eastern and Central Pacific crossing the date line are re-designated as typhoons. This basin features the strongest cyclones on record.

Typhoon seasons include the entirety of the calendar year. Most storms tend to form between May and November."

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone
"In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. Since the generic term covers a wide variety of meteorological phenomena, such as tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, and tornadoes, meteorologists rarely use it without additional qualification."

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclones
"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."

Answer 5

Both are same except the place of origin and how they are classified.Cyclones form over Indian ocean and have a wind speed of 34 to 47 Kts.Between 48 and 63 Kts they are called severe cyclonic storms.Above 64 Kts they are called severe cyclonic storm with a core of hurricane winds.
Hurricanes form over North Atlantic and have a wind speed of 64 Kts or more.

Answer 6

a hurricane is a type of cyclone. A cyclone is an area of low atmospheric pressure characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere of the Earth

Answer 7

Scientifically speaking, one is over water, a hurricane and the other is not. A cyclone and a tornado are the same time. It doesn't occur over water, but over land, nowhere near water usually. I don't know the exact scientific definition of either, but I do know that a tornado involves lots of wind, rain, and can uproot houses etc.

Answer 8

When these storms occur in the Western Hemisphere (in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico), we call them hurricanes. When they occur in the North Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line, we call them typhoons. Names of Pacific hurricanes, Atlantic hurricanes, and typhoons are all derived from separate lists.

Answer 9

Technically, a cyclone is any low pressure area rotating counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

A hurricane is a type of cyclone.

Answer 10

It depends which side of the international date line its on

Nevermind...thats the difference between a Hurricane and Typhoon