Essential Facts About Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones

Essential Facts About Hurricanes, Typhoons, Cyclones During hurricane season, you may hear the terms hurricane, typhoon, and cyclone used often, but what does each mean? While all three of these terms have to do with tropical cyclones, they are not the same thing. Which one you use depends on which part of the world the tropical cyclone is in. Hurricanes Mature tropical cyclones  with winds of 74 mph or more that exist anywhere in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or in the eastern or central North Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line are called hurricanes.    As long as a hurricane stays within any of the above-mentioned waters, even if it crosses from one basin to a neighboring basin (i.e., from the Atlantic to the Eastern Pacific), it will still be called a hurricane. A notable example of this is Hurricane Flossie (2007).  Hurricane Ioke (2006) is an example of a tropical cyclone that  did  change titles. It strengthened into a hurricane just south of Honolulu, Hawaii. 6 days later, it crossed the International Date Line into the Western Pacific basin, becoming Typhoon Ioke.  Learn more about  why we name hurricanes. The  National Hurricane Center  (NHC) monitors and issues forecasts for hurricanes occurring in these regions. The NHC classifies any hurricane with wind speeds of at least 111 mph as a major hurricane.    Category Name Sustained Winds (1-minute) Category 1 74-95 mph Category 2 96-110 mph Category 3 (major) 111-129 mph Category 4 (major) 130-156 mph Category 5 (major) 157+ mph The NHC Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Typhoons Typhoons are mature tropical cyclones that form in the Northwest Pacific basin - the  western part of the North Pacific Ocean, between 180 °Ã‚  (the International Date Line)  and 100 ° East longitude. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is in charge of monitoring typhoons and issuing typhoon forecasts. Similarly to the National Hurricane Centers major hurricanes, the JMA classifies strong typhoons with winds of at least 92 mph as severe typhoons, and those with winds of at least 120 mph as super typhoons.   Category Name Sustained Winds (10-minute) Typhoon 73-91 mph Very Strong Typhoon 98-120 mph Violent Typhoon 121+ mph The JMA Typhoon Intensity Scale Cyclones Mature tropical cyclones within the North  Indian Ocean  between 100 ° E and 45 ° E are called cyclones. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) monitors cyclones and classifies them according to the below intensity scale: Category Sustained Winds (3-minute) Cyclonic Storm 39-54 mph Severe Cyclonic Storm 55-72 mph Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 73-102 mph Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm 103-137 mph Super Cyclonic Storm 138+ mph IMD TC Intensity Scale To make matters  more  confusing, we sometimes refer to hurricanes in the Atlantic as cyclones too - thats because, in a broad sense of the word, they are. In weather, any storm that has a closed circular and counterclockwise motion can be called a cyclone. By this definition, hurricanes, mesocyclone thunderstorms, tornadoes, and even extratropical cyclones (weather fronts) are all technically cyclones!