These Things May Seem The Same, But They Have Some Pretty Important Differences

Storm Classifications Depend On Where They Are In The World

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Hurricanes and typhoons are both forms of spinning storms that occur in tropical areas. Americans are used to hearing hurricane because that’s the word used for a tropical storm that happens in the North Atlantic, North Pacific, or Northeast Pacific. If a storm is in Northwest Pacific, then it is labeled a typhoon.

To make it even more confusing, any tropical spinning storm in the Southern hemisphere is called a tropical cyclone. And yes, they do spin the opposite way as hurricanes and typhoons just like when you flush a toilet in Australia.