What is the difference between hurricanes, typhoons and tornadoes? We have often heard about tropical storms that occur around the planet and there is a lot of confusion in this regard, since they do not always have the same names. It is often thought that hurricanes and typhoons are completely different, however, this is not entirely true, there are many similarities between these two, although there is only one characteristic that differentiates them.
What is a hurricane
Scientifically, hurricanes are called tropical cyclones that occur in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean and the northeastern Pacific. The word “hurricane” comes from the Caribbean god whose name was the word “Hurrican”.
Hurricanes form in the sea when an area of low pressure becomes more intense than normal and becomes tropical. Depending on the intensity of the winds, the hurricane can gain strength and thus increase its category. They are classified into 5 categories depending on their level of intensity and their power when they make landfall.
Category 1: With minimal damage that mainly affects vegetation, there may be damage to buildings or trailers that are not fixed to the ground, such as docks. Its winds range between 118 and 153 kilometers per hour.
Category 2: Involves damage to buildings, doors, windows or roads that are near the coasts may be flooded. Its winds range between 154 and 177 kilometers per hour and can cause major damage to docks and ships.
Category 3: The buildings closest to the coast, doors, windows, roofs, small buildings or trailers have extensive damage and may be destroyed. Flooding may occur on land that is one and a half meters below sea level. Its winds range from 178 to 209 kilometers per hour and can reach up to 14 kilometers from the coast.
Category 4: Causes extreme damage to vegetation and small homes may be destroyed. In this category, the evacuation of people who are 500 meters from the coast begins. Its winds range from 210 to 250 kilometers per hour.
Category 5: These are the most destructive hurricanes. Storms in this category are capable of uprooting trees and causing damage to buildings, because their winds exceed 250 kilometers per hour.
What is a typhoon
This tropical cyclone originates in the Northwest Pacific. This area is the most active on the planet and therefore they occur almost all year round, with some times when they are more frequent.
This phenomenon is formed when a very curly Pacific atmospheric wave begins to rotate following the planet’s own rotation. This generates high pressures in the extreme part and low pressures in its center. If the system continues rotating, spirals of more than 74 miles will be produced. per hour and then we will be in the presence of a typhoon.
The primary difference between hurricanes and typhoons is the region where they originate. If a spiral is generated over the North Atlantic it is a hurricane, but if it does so in the Pacific, then it is said to be a typhoon.
What is a tornado
These types of storms are completely different from hurricanes and typhoons, since they occur on land. They are columns of air that rotate at high speed, where one of their ends is in contact with the ground, which causes a lot of damage. It is generated when in a small area of air layers with different temperatures and humidity, more than one wind circulation is recorded that allows strong convection and condensation at all levels, along with a convergence of air near the Earth’s surface.
Its diameter is smaller than that of hurricanes and typhoons, and therefore its duration is shorter. However, this does not mean that they are not capable of causing great damage, which is why there are two different scales to measure their intensity.
The Fujita-Pearson scale, which measures the damage caused by tornadoes, and the Torro scale, which classifies them according to their intensity. They reach a height of between 1 and 2 kilometers above the earth’s surface and have an average speed of 120 kilometers per hour.