Typhoon or Hurricane?

[Jinx]

What is the difference(s) between a typhoon and a hurricane? Is it just that one is in the Pacific? - Jinx

[Mr.Blue_Sky]

Hurricane - Atlantic
Typhoons - Pacific

[whiterabbit]

Aren’t they cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere, as well?

[RealityChuck]

Yes. The storms were named before people realized they were all essentially the same thing.

[Jinx]

About “cyclone”: The terms cyclone and anticyclone is meaningless. Weather books describe that any system has rotation, and they are deemed cyclones or anticyclones, depending on if a cold front or warm front. I will find a cite to quote, tomorrow. - Jinx

[alphaboi867]

@Mr. Blue Sky

Hurricane - Atlantic
Typhoons - Pacific

What about the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean? (I’ll leave the Arctic out since it’s frozen)

[Cunctator]

*Cyclone * is the term used for the storms that occur in the northern parts of Australia, the most famous being Cyclone Tracy that detroyed Darwin on Christmas Day 1974.

[Mr.Blue_Sky]

@alphaboi867

What about the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean? (I’ll leave the Arctic out since it’s frozen)

From here

How tropical and extratropical cyclones differ

Tropical cyclone

* Forms over a tropical ocean.
* Center of storm is warmer than the surrounding air.
* Has no fronts.
* Strongest winds are near the Earth's surface. 

Extratropical cyclone

* Forms outside the tropics.
* Center of storm is colder than the surrounding air.
* Has fronts.
* Strongest winds in the upper atmosphere.

[Mangosteen]

Atlantic and Eastern Pacific (West Coast of Mexico): Hurricane

Western Pacific (Asia): Typhoon (from the Chinese “Ty” (Extreme), “Phoon” (wind).

[snailboy]

@alphaboi867

What about the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean?

I’ve read people asking about the Antarctic Ocean and now the Southern Ocean on these boards. Where were these oceans when I went to school?

[Linus_Van_Pelt]

There’s some great information on the National Hurricane Center FAQ page. From that page:

The terms “hurricane” and “typhoon” are regionally specific names for a strong “tropical cyclone”. A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation (Holland 1993).

They also have a bunch of very specific definitions, including:
“hurricane”
“typhoon”
“severe tropical cyclone”
“severe cyclonic storm”
“tropical cyclone”

[Richard_Pearse]

@Jinx

About “cyclone”: The terms cyclone and anticyclone is meaningless. Weather books describe that any system has rotation, and they are deemed cyclones or anticyclones, depending on if a cold front or warm front. I will find a cite to quote, tomorrow. - Jinx

“Cyclone” is technically meaningless however “tropical cyclone” is not meaningless as a cyclonic weather pattern in the tropics is something to be watched closely. If a tropical cyclone does not form winds strong enough to get classified as a category 1 storm or worse, then it remains classified as a tropical low. Once the winds get up, it is named and becomes a “tropical cyclone” (in the Indian Ocean; north, and to the north east of Australia.)

The term “tropical cyclone” is then shortened to “cyclone” by the media and the general public, hence “Cyclone Tracy”, “Cyclone Zoe”, etc.

[CynicalGabe]

basically, they are all cyclonic disturbances

[Colibri]

@Mangosteen

Atlantic and Eastern Pacific (West Coast of Mexico): Hurricane

Western Pacific (Asia): Typhoon (from the Chinese “Ty” (Extreme), “Phoon” (wind).

The storms are also called hurricanes in the South Pacific Ocean east of 160 E longitude.

“Hurricane” is derived from the Taino Indian word hurákan, apparently the name of an angry evil god.