Every time an alert appears in the media about a system circling over the sea threatening the coast, the same question arises: Is it a hurricane or a typhoon? What makes it called a hurricane in some countries? Beyond the name, what lies behind it is the same mechanism.
Coastal communities in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, India, and Australia pay special attention to these tropical storms every year. Summarized by journalists, weather alerts and emergency centers Different terms depending on geographical context.
Although it may seem like a simple linguistic question, it is not so: behind every word there is Technical classification, destructive potential and history of weather monitoring.
Let’s review what each phenomenon is to better understand their similarities and differences.
What is a tropical storm?
A tropical storm is a low pressure system that has already developed well-defined circulation and sustained winds greater than approximately 63 km/h, but is not yet strong enough to be classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or hurricane (depending on the region).
At this point, the system seeks to maintain its warm, stable core above the warm water before condensing. According to the environmental news and journalism platform EFEverdeThis is the system level Previous step Which assumes the most famous names.
When a tropical system is in the Atlantic or northeastern Pacific Ocean (off the coast of Mexico and Central America) and sustained wind speeds exceed 118 km/h (≈72 mph), it is classified as a hurricane. This term is widely used in North America and the Caribbean. In these geographic areas, the word “hurricane” is used to refer to the strongest tropical cyclones.
The name changes depending on the ocean: In the northwestern Pacific basin (off the Philippines, Japan, or China), when a tropical system reaches hurricane-equivalent strength, it is called a typhoon. This means: the same general phenomenon (tropical cyclone), with a different name depending on the region. EFEverde He sums it up like this: “If it happened in the western North Pacific, the word ‘cyclone’ would be used.”
What is a tropical cyclone?
Finally, in the Indian Ocean (such as the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) and in the South Pacific, the system is called a cyclone or severe tropical cyclone when very strong winds arrive. In these areas the term “hurricane” covers what in other areas is called a tornado or tornado.
Naming is not just a matter of labels: It indicates where the storm is forming, what agencies are warning, what monitoring systems are in use, and what damage forecasts may exist.
Moreover, knowing this allows Better interpretation of international reports. On many occasions, alerts cross borders or are read from other languages and it is important to be aware of this A “severe tropical cyclone” in the Indian Ocean is also what we call a “Category X cyclone” in the Atlantic Ocean.