Hurricanes vs. Typhoons

A signifying difference between typhoons and hurricanes appears when media coverages of katrina and afterdesaster and the two typhoons that hit parts of china are put into comparison.

thanks for answering my question on hurricaines vs typhoons. your answer is that they are the same, but i’m still wondering if they rotate in opposite directions? regards ron

Ron,

I believe this is entirely to do with whether or not the storm is in the northern or southern hemisphere. Hence, tropical cyclones tend to rotate the other direction. But don’t quote me on that!

There is a difference besides where they occur be it Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean. They spin in different directions hurricanes spin counter clock-wise Typhoons spin in clock-wise direction.

comment by Keith on February 24, 2008. I lived in Guam and Texas. I lived through many a typhoon and a hurricane. For your information, a typhoon and hurricane turn in the same directions (clockwise). They are named different because a hurricane happens in the atlantic and eastern pacific oceans and typhoons happen on the other side of the international dateline. They turn in the same direction. Typhoons tend to be stronger because they are in warmer water thus gaining more speed.