Tropical Cyclones

Hurricane - Frequency

10-15 per year.

Typhoon - Frequency

25-30 per year.

Typhoon - Rotation

A typhoon that occurs in the northern hemisphere has a counter-clockwise rotation.

Similarity 1

Both Hurricanes and Typhoons are names given to storms known as Tropical Cyclones. The term "tropical" refers to where these storms are formed on the globe, which is tropical regions with warm bodies of water. The term "cyclone" refers to how the storms clouds circle around the storm's center, known as they "eye'.

Similarity 5

Both are given names, such as Hurricane "Katrina" or Typhoon "Irma" so that there is no confusion about which storm is being talked about during a warning.

Similarity 4

Both have at least 74 mph winds, rain, thunder and lightening.

Similarity 2

Both of these tropical cyclones can produce extremely powerful winds, very heavy rain, extra-high waves and damaging storm surge (like a flood) as well as create tornadoes.

Hurricane - Strength

Classified into five categories based on Saffir-Simpson scale. The wind speed and intensity of damage increases from category 1 to category 5. If the wind speed in a hurricane reaches 96 knots, or 111 mph, the storm is then called an intense hurricane.

Hurricane - Rotation

Counterclockwise or Clockwise

Typhoon - Location

Eastern hemisphere: West Pacific Ocean. Typhoons often originate in the South China Sea, and the word "typhoon" is associated with the Chinese language. Most common location: Off the coast of South East Asia.

Similarity 3

They develop over large bodies of warm water, and lose their strength if they move over land.

Typhoon - Strength

Typhoons are the strongest type of tropical cyclone in the world. Typhoons are also usually much larger than hurricanes due to the additional space in the Pacific Ocean. When the wind speed in a typhoon reaches 132 knots, or 156 mph, the storm is then called a Super-Typhoon.

Hurricane - Location

Western hemisphere: Atlantic and east Pacific Ocean. since many hurricanes originate in the Caribbean Sea, the word "hurricane" is associated with the languages found in the Caribbean. Most common location: Caribbean Sea.

Differences (5)

there are five primary differences between Hurricanes and Typhoons: location, strength, frequency, rotation of the storm and season.

Hurricane - Season

The hurricane season for storms originating in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean officially starts on June 1 and ends on November 30.

Typhoon - Season

The typhoon season in the northwestern Pacific Ocean begins at the end of June and ends in December. In the northeastern Pacific Ocean, the storm season starts on May 15 and ends on November 30.