They are the same kind of storm with different regional names. A tropical cyclone is called a hurricane in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific, a typhoon in the northwest Pacific, and a cyclone in the Indian Ocean and around Australia. Cyclone is also the general scientific term for the whole category.
The core difference
There is no meteorological difference — the naming is geographic. A rotating tropical storm system that reaches sustained winds of roughly 119 km/h (74 mph) is called:
- hurricane — in the North Atlantic and the northeast Pacific
- typhoon — in the northwest Pacific
- cyclone — in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean
The same storm crossing between basins can change what it is called without changing at all.
Cyclone as the general term
Cyclone does double duty. Besides the regional name, it is the scientific term for any large air mass rotating around a low-pressure centre — so tropical cyclone is the category that hurricanes and typhoons belong to, and extratropical cyclone describes the ordinary low-pressure systems that bring much of the weather to temperate regions.
Which way they turn
Rotation follows the hemisphere: counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, clockwise in the southern, a consequence of the Coriolis effect. This is one of the few reliable ways to tell which hemisphere a satellite image comes from.
Not the same as a tornado
A tornado is a much smaller, shorter-lived column of rotating air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground — metres to a couple of kilometres across, lasting minutes. A tropical cyclone is hundreds of kilometres across and lasts days. In parts of the United States "cyclone" is used informally for a tornado, which adds to the confusion but is not the technical meaning.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cyclone the same as a hurricane?
Yes — the same kind of storm with a different regional name. Hurricane in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific, typhoon in the northwest Pacific, cyclone in the Indian Ocean and around Australia.
What is the difference between a cyclone and a tornado?
Scale and duration. A tropical cyclone is hundreds of kilometres wide and lasts days; a tornado is a narrow column lasting minutes.
Which way does a hurricane rotate?
Counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern, because of the Coriolis effect.