Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Climatology | Impacts | Extremes| TCs affecting WA towns | Forecast Accuracy
Frequently Asked Questions | Annual summaries

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Definitions

4. What is the difference between Australian tropical cyclones and cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes in other parts of the world?

For historical reasons tropical cyclones are called different names in different parts of the world. The terms hurricane and typhoon are regionally specific names for a severe tropical cyclone (sustained winds of more than 118 km/h (64 knots). Hurricane is used in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E. Typhoon is used in the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline.

For many parts of the world a non-severe tropical cyclone is referred to as a tropical storm and assigned a name.