Main Difference – Cyclone vs Hurricane
Cyclone is a storm or system of winds that circulates around a center of low atmospheric pressure. Hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin. This is the key difference between cyclone and hurricane.
This article studies,
1. What is a Cyclone?
– Definition, Parts, Features, Types
2. What is a Hurricane?
– Definition, Features, Examples
3. What is the difference between Cyclone and Hurricane?
What is a Cyclone
A cyclone is a storm or system of winds that circulates around a center of low atmospheric pressure. Cyclones circulate clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. They are also accompanied by stormy and destructive weather.
Parts of a Cyclone
There are three main identifiable parts in a cyclone.
Eye – this is the center of the storm and the area with the lowest atmospheric pressure.
Eye wall – this is the area directly around the eye where winds rotate at a fast rate.
Cloud chains – these are the clouds that form outside the storm; they increase the size of the cyclone
Types of Cyclones
There are three main types of cyclones known as tropical, subtropical and extratropical cyclones.
Tropical cyclones are warm-core systems that have warm, humid, tropical air mass throughout the entire storm. They occur over warm ocean water near the equator. They also cause numerous thunderstorms that produce flooding rain and strong winds.
Extratropical cyclones primarily get energy from the horizontal temperature contrasts that exist in the atmosphere. These low-pressure systems are associated with associated cold fronts, warm fronts, and occluded fronts.
Subtropical cyclones possess features of both tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones.
An extratropical cyclone near Iceland
What is a Hurricane
A hurricane is a type of cyclone. To be more precise, hurricane is another name for a tropical cyclone. This term refers to tropical cyclones that affect the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. A tropical cyclone that occurs in the western Pacific or Indian Oceans are called typhoons.
In order to be named a hurricane, a vortex should have the maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher. However, only six to ten cyclones reach the magnitude of hurricanes every year. They are common in the month of June through November although they are not as common as typhoons.
If a cyclone sustains winds of 111 mph or higher and corresponds to a Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, it will be termed as a major hurricane. Hurricane Katrina, hurricane Mitch, hurricane Ike, hurricane Sandy and Great Galveston hurricane are some of the most deadly and destructive typhoons the world has ever experienced.
Path of Katrina Hurricane
Difference Between Cyclone and Hurricane
Definition
Cyclone is a storm or system of winds that circulates around a center of low atmospheric pressure.
Hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin.
Connection
Cyclone has three types: tropical, subtropical and extratropical.
Hurricane is a tropical cyclone.
Destruction
Cyclone may not be destructive since some of them don’t occur in the land.
Hurricane may be more destructive.
Frequency
Cyclones are more common than hurricanes.
Hurricanes are not as common as other cyclones.
Image Courtesy:
“Low pressure system over Iceland” By NASA’s Aqua/MODIS satellite – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
“Katrina 2005 track” By Nilfanion – Created using WikiProject Tropical cyclones/Tracks. The background image was created by NASA. The tracking data is from the National Hurricane Center’s Atlantic hurricane database (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
