What’s the difference between hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones?
The difference between these storms is all in their location
Hurricane Milton, Typhoon Meranti, and Cyclone Winston all rank among the strongest storms ever observed around the world. Each system had an ominous eye, tremendous winds, and caused significant damage along their paths.
If they’re all so similar, then what’s the difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a cyclone, anyway?
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All low-pressure systems are cyclones. Tropical cyclones are lows that derive their energy from thunderstorms at the centre of the system. These storms thrive on warm ocean waters and benefit from moist air and calm wind shear.
The mechanics that drive tropical cyclones are the same regardless of where in the world they develop.
No matter where they form, weak and disorganized tropical cyclones are generally called tropical depressions. The next step up is usually called a tropical storm, which features gusty winds and organized bands of heavy rainfall.
Major differences arise when we’re talking about strong tropical cyclones.
We call these powerful storms hurricanes in the northern Atlantic and the northeastern Pacific basins. Similar systems are named typhoons in the northwestern Pacific. Every other basin simply refers to these strong storms as cyclones.
Across the northern Pacific Ocean, the International Date Line—located at 180°W—acts as the dividing line between the titles “hurricane” and “typhoon.”
If a hurricane crosses that line, which has happened on numerous occasions, it’s renamed a typhoon. This happened in 2023 when Hurricane Dora became Typhoon Dora.
Regardless of what we call them, tropical cyclones can grow ferocious almost anywhere in the world.
Hurricane Milton packed winds of nearly 290 km/h as it swirled in the Gulf of Mexico in October 2024. The storm later caused significant damage when it struck Florida as a major hurricane.
Typhoon Meranti grew into one of the Pacific’s strongest-ever typhoons with a minimum air pressure of 895 mb, grazing southern Taiwan with the equivalent strength of a Category 5 storm.
Cyclone Winston was one of the most intense storms ever recorded at landfall, hitting the south Pacific island of Fiji at peak strength with maximum sustained winds of nearly 285 km/h.
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