Understanding the Difference Between Typhoon and Hurricane

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Interest in the differences between a typhoon and a hurricane skyrocketed as news broke of the recent outbreak of Hurricane Francine in Louisiana on Thursday, September 11, 2024. 

USA Today reported that over 400,000 homes and businesses were severely affected by Hurricane Francine, and landed in Terrebonne Parish. Several states, including Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle, also experienced heavy rainfall. 

According to the Weather Channel, tornadoes are possible in some areas, including the Florida Panhandle, northeastern Mississippi, most of Alabama, western Georgia, and south-central Tennessee. 

How do we distinguish between a typhoon and a hurricane in the midst of disaster threats? This article discusses the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane, as cited by various sources. Stay on the page to learn more. 

How a Hurricane Forms 

According to the National Geographic site, hurricanes are massive heat engines that begin as tropical disturbances in warm ocean waters. Other sources suggest that a hurricane requires warm ocean water and moist air to form. As moist air rises over warm ocean water in a particular low-pressure zone, the clouds of the storm form and soon release the water. Hurricanes consist of a well-known circular eye wall that contains the storm's most powerful rain and winds.

The UCAR Center of Science Education states that hurricanes grow from storms with a continuous energy supply from warm ocean water and moist air. However, a storm must go through several stages before it becomes a hurricane.

The following are the stages of storm life based on wind speed.

• Tropical disturbance - Thunderstorms with slight cyclonic circulation
• Tropical Depression - Winds between 23 and 39 mph
• Tropical Storm - Winds between 40 and 73 mph
• Hurricane - Winds greater than 74 mph

Only a small number of storms have been found to develop into tropical storms, and even fewer have developed into hurricanes. This is due to the nature of storms, which weaken as they pass over areas of cooler ocean water.

The Difference Between a Typhoon and a Hurricane

The difference between a typhoon and a hurricane is generally just a matter of regional terms used to describe the weather phenomenon. Hurricanes and typhoons come from the same weather phenomenon, tropical cyclones. This weather phenomenon occurs in several warm and tropical areas of the world under certain circumstances. All tropical cyclones are similar in that they draw heat from warm water to spin upward.

Tropical cyclones are commonly known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. In the western Pacific, however, the term typhoon is more common. In the Indian Ocean and near Australia, tropical cyclones are called cyclones.

According to the NOAA, the hurricane season in the Atlantic is between June 1 and November 30, with 97% of tropical cyclone activity occurring during this period. However, hurricanes can also occur outside of this period.

This brief explanation of the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane will provide more knowledge to people of all backgrounds. 

USA Today | National Geographic

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