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We hear of tornadoes and hurricanes all the time. What is the difference between these and the term "cyclone"?
Susan
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Oh yes, the cyclone, a great term indeed. We hear the word cyclone pretty often when we talk about weather in the southern hemisphere although the word itself covers a lot of meteorological type of phenomena.
The term cyclone is used to describe any sort of cyclonic rotation, which in the northern hemisphere is counter clockwise.
A tropical cyclone is a hurricane, or a cyclone that forms over warmer water. Hurricanes and Typhoons are just regional names for a tropical cyclone. Tropical Cyclones in the southern hemisphere are given names just like hurricanes. Recently, Cyclone Larry slammed into the northeastern coast of Australia.
Since cyclonation rotation and low pressure usually exist together, the term cyclone and low can be used interchangeably. Often low pressure is associated with inclement weather so we typically use the term "storm" to describe that.
A link on the right side of this page will hook you up with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory to break down where on the globe we use the name "hurricane" vs. "typhoon" vs. "tropical cyclone".
Tornadoes are much smaller than hurricanes and can have winds up and over 260 mph! A typical hurricane is 300 miles wide but the widest tornado ever documented was only 2.5 miles wide. You can imagine a 2.5 mile wall of 170 mph wind and what it would do to your town, it wouldn't be pretty. Hurricanes need warm ocean water to form and tornadoes do not. Using the USA Today weather page, which is by far a great resource, you can learn more about the differences between the two.
Answered by KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman
