What is the Difference Between Cyclone and Typhoon?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The terms "cyclone" and "typhoon" are essentially regional names for tropical cyclones, which are rotating, organized systems of clouds and thunderstorms that originate over warm water at the ocean's surface. The differences between these storms are mainly due to their geographical location and regional naming conventions:
- Hurricanes: These storms develop over the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific.
- Cyclones: They form over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. In the Indian Ocean and near Australia, tropical cyclones are commonly called "cyclones".
- Typhoons: These storms develop in the Northwest Pacific. The term "typhoon" comes from a Chinese word meaning "big wind".
Despite these regional differences in naming, all tropical cyclones share similar characteristics and are essentially the same type of weather system. They draw heat from warm water at the ocean's surface to fuel their rotating winds, and their energy sources differ from those of synoptic cyclones, which are storm systems that draw their energy from weather fronts and jet streams.
Comparative Table: Cyclone vs Typhoon
The terms cyclone, typhoon, and hurricane are often used to describe big storms, but they are not the same thing. Here is a table outlining the differences between these weather phenomena:
| Feature | Cyclone | Typhoon | Hurricane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | A large, rotating storm system that forms over warm ocean waters, rotates around areas of low pressure, and has wind speeds of at least 74 mph (119 km per hour). | A typhoon is the same weather phenomenon as a hurricane or cyclone, but the term is used specifically for storms that originate in the Northwest Pacific. | A hurricane is a tropical cyclone that forms in the North Atlantic, the central and eastern North Pacific, and the Caribbean. |
| Origin | Cyclones can form worldwide, including the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. | Typhoons typically originate in the Northwest Pacific, affecting countries like Vietnam, China, and Japan. | Hurricanes occur in the northern Atlantic Ocean, the northeast Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the east coast of the United States. |
| Naming | The generic term for these storms is "tropical cyclone". The term "cyclone" is used globally, while "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regional terms. | The term "typhoon" is used specifically for storms that originate in the Northwest Pacific. | The term "hurricane" is used for storms that form in the North Atlantic, the central and eastern North Pacific, and the Caribbean. |
In summary, cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes are all large tropical storm systems that form over warm ocean waters and rotate around areas of low pressure. The primary difference between these storms is their location of origin and the regional terms used to describe them.
- Cyclone vs Hurricane
- Cyclone vs Tsunami
- Hurricane vs Tornado
- Tropical Storm vs Hurricane
- Twister vs Tornado
- Tidal Wave vs Tsunami
- Tsunami vs Flood
- Earthquake vs Tsunami
- Dengue vs Typhoid
- Lightning vs Thunder
- Scattered Thunderstorms vs Isolated Thunderstorms
- Catastrophe vs Disaster
- Wind Speed vs Wind Gust
- Typhus vs Typhoid
- Flood vs Flash Flood
- Windcheater Windbreaker Rain Jacket vs Raincoat
- Flash Flood vs Riverine Flood
- Tides vs Waves
- Malaria vs Typhoid