Typhoon Haiyan: Typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes ..What are they?

A powerful typhoon hit the Philippines on Friday bringing gusts that reached 379km/h (235 mph) and headed ahead toward Vietnam. While our hearts go out to all those families who lost their homes and loved ones, we would like to also share some information for young learners on how typhoons are different from cyclones and hurricanes.

HURRICANE? CYCLONE? TYPHOON?

They’re all the same, officially known as tropical cyclones. But they just use distinctive terms for a storm in different parts of the world.

• Hurricane is the term used in the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, central and northeast   Pacific. They are called typhoons in the northwest Pacific.
• In the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, they are known as cyclones.
• Tropical cyclone is used in the southwest Indian Ocean; in the southwestern Pacific and southeastern Indian Ocean they are severe tropical cyclones.

*Image Sourc: NASA- Typhoon Haiyan by astronaut Karen Nyberg

STRENGTH:

• A storm gets a name and is considered a tropical storm at 39 mph (63 kph).
• It becomes a hurricane, typhoon, tropical cyclone, or cyclone at 74 mph (119 kph).
• There are five strength categories, depending on wind speed.The highest category is 5 and that’s above 155 mph (249 kph).

ROTATION:

Typhoons, hurricanes and cyclones all rotate in the same direction, i.e, counterclockwise, if they form in the Northern Hemisphere. But a rare storm in the Southern hemisphere “backward” storms, rotates clockwise . This phenomenon is also known as the Coriolis Effect. Simply put, if they are happening in the north of the equator they rotate counterclockwise. If they are happening in the south, they rotate clockwise.

SEASON:

The Atlantic and central Pacific hurricane seasons are June 1 through Nov. 30. Eastern Pacific:May 15 to Nov. 30; northwestern Pacific season is under constant threat to all year, with the most from May to November. The cyclone season in the south Pacific and Australia runs from November to April. The Bay of                                         Bengal has two seasons April to June and September to November.

WHERE IS THE BUSIEST PLACE?

The northwestern Pacific where Typhoon Haiyan has just hit. A normal year there involves 27 named storms. Haiyan is the 28th named storm and there has already been a 29th. By comparison the Atlantic averages 11 named storms a year and this year there have been 12, none of them causing major problems.

WHO DECIDES THE NAMES?

The lists are maintained by the World Meteorological Organization; the names are ones that are familiar in each region. Names are taken off the list and replaced to avoid confusion if a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths. For example, Katrina was retired after it devastated New Orleans in 2005. The Philippines has its own naming system, so Typhoon Haiyan is also being called Yolanda.

Every decade, disasters cause the death of a million people and leave several millions more homeless.Economic losses caused by natural disasters have tripled in the past 30 years.

Meritnation.com believes in power of the youth as a flag bearers in creating a better community and values . So remember, efficient management skills are required not only by adults,but also should be an importatnt part of a child’s education.When disaster strikes, irrespective of your age, you should be able to think on your toes and use all the knowledge you have ever gained on the topic to work towards helping out the rehabilitation process.

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Download Printable UNICEF Disaster Management Game: Click Here

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