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Hurricane and typhoon are both names for the same thing but are used in different parts of the world. The basic term for both is "tropical cyclone" which is a circular low- pressure storm over tropical and sub-tropical waters. If the tropical cyclone has a maximum sustained surface wind speed of less than 39 mph it is called a tropical depression. When wind speeds are above 39 mph it is called a tropical storm. When wind speeds reach 74 mph it is called a hurricane in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E, a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline, a severe tropical cyclone in the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E, a severe cyclonic storm in the North Indian Ocean, and a tropical cyclone in the Southwest Indian Ocean. Damage from hurricanes can be caused by wind, flooding caused by storm surge and flooding caused by rainfall.

Typhoons often cause vast damage to coasts and islands that are in the path of the storm. High tides and flooding accompany the devastating winds. Some kinds of weather involved in typhoons are wind, rain, hail, lightening, and thunder. But don't worry your meteorologist will warn you in your forecast. Typhoon is the Asian name for tropical cyclone. A typhoon is a low-pressure storm. Typhoons start close to the equator and travel westward, collecting size and intensity as it moves. As typhoons move they gradually get larger, usually about 10 to 15 miles ( 16 to 24 kilometers) per hour. But the circular winds around the center are very strong, often reaching speeds of 150 miles ( 240 kilometers) per hour. The diameter can be as large as 300 miles (480 kilometers). The mighty winds and heavy rain can cause severe land and property damage, even death to humans. A destructive and violent rush of sea water, called a storm surge, often also accompanies a typhoon as it travels onto land. Typhoon winds and clouds whirl around the eye, a calm part in the middle of a storm. Large waves smash a coastline as it travels onto land. This violent onrush of sea water, called a storm surge, can demolish buildings and cause floods, meaning death.

What causes typhoons is a question that has been puzzling the best scientific minds across the planet since long and while we do have substantial understanding of the basic conditions that facilitate a typhoon, exact reasons still are unknown. Warm water surface is the basic reason for the formation of the low pressure area. Warm waters surrounded by cold conditions inevitably create low pressure and unstable atmosphere above them. Water temperatures of at least 26.5 °C (79.7 °F) are needed down to a depth of at least 50 meters to start a typhoon. Next is the abundant supply of water around the eye of the storm, ensuring that high humidity will fuel the typhoon constantly helping it grow in size. This is a giant that needs to feed constantly on water. Typhoons also need to maintain a distance of at least 5 degrees north of the equator to sustain and develop. Considering all the conditions needed for their formations, one would imagine that typhoons and tropical cyclones would be a rare occurrence. But off late, that seems not to be the case. Why is it so?

How Long Do Typhoons Last?

The definition of typhoon season is as the following. Western North Pacific Basin: From January to December Western South Pacific Basin: From July to June (next year) That is, a typhoon season in Western North Pacific begins in January, and the first typhoon of a typhoon season is named as Typhoon No. 1. The definition also indicates that the typhoon season is opposite between the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Typhoon_Pongsona _(2002).JPG

Typhoons are dangerous because the very high wind speeds can do great damage and move large heavy or sharp objects. Hurricanes are classed as Level 1 (from 11 8km/h 33 m/s 74 mph 64 knots) to Level 5 (over 249 km/h 70 m/s 155 mph 135 knots). Winds at these speeds will blow people and buildings over and slam things into people. Typhoons are classified on the Saffir- Simpson scale. This is the same scale used to measure Hurricanes.

Hurricanes are just the same as typhoons except they form in the east. Wind moves clockwise around the eye of the typhoon. Did you know, however, that Typhoon Tip’s gale-force winds of 30 Kts ( 35 mph) were 1,350 miles wide. Think about this: if the center of Typhoon Tip were located over Memphis, Tennessee, the following cities would experience tropical storm-force winds from Tip (clockwise from the southeast): Orlando and Tampa, Florida, Corpus Christi to Amarillo, Texas, central Wisconsin including Chicago, Illinois, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That’s part of, if not all of 27 states!