What's the Difference Between a Hurricane and a Typhoon?

Here in the United States we are very familiar with hurricanes, especially if you live along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico or the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.  Hurricanes, as most of us know, are very large, intense storms that develop in the Atlantic Ocean and work their way toward the coast.  They are huge rotation systems with wind speeds of at least 74 miles per hour.  Hurricanes are ranked by category numbers.  A category 1 hurricane has wind speeds ranging from 74 - 95 miles per hour.  As the wind speed increases, so does the category number.  Category 5 hurricanes, the strongest hurricanes, have wind speeds greater than 155 miles per hour.  The greater the wind speeds, the greater than damage done.

A large rotation system with wind speeds between 39 and 74 miles per hour are called tropical storms.  Many times hurricanes begin as tropical storms.  Often a hurricane decreases in strength as it approaches land and turns back into a tropical storm before reaching land fall.

So what's a typhoon?  As a kid I was once told in school that typhoons are tornadoes that start over water.  It sounded good at the time, but I later learned this is completely untrue.  Tornadoes over water are simply that.  They are still called tornadoes!  A typhoon is really the same thing as a hurricane, but with one difference, location.  

Large rotating weather systems starting in the Atlantic Ocean are called hurricanes.  Systems starting in the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons.  In addition, systems starting in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones.  That's it.  The difference is based on location.  The storms are all very large rotating systems with high wind speeds.

So now you know the truth.  Don't make the mistake that a teacher once made to me and tell your kids that typhoons are over-the-water tornadoes.  :-)