Quote:
Originally posted by Newt
I just googled it and the interWEB tells me that there's no actual difference between a cyclone, hurricane and typhoon
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Okay, let me clear this up.
Hurricanes, which is not what this storm is, are known as
cyclones in the South Indian, South Pacific/Australia, and North Indian basins, where they form from November - April. They are known as
typhoons in the Western Pacific basins.
The storm that affected Italy was an extratropical cyclone (a hurricane is a tropical cyclone). Unlike hurricanes, extra-trops are commonplace. They are both cyclonic systems (by definition, a cyclone is a closed area of rotating low pressure), but tropical cyclones occur only in the tropics (the area around the Equator).
Extra-trops can still be dangerous. Strong low pressure systems can bring high winds and heavy precipitation.
