Typhoons

Tropical cyclones are one of the most dangerous natural hazards to people. Every year, they cause considerable loss of life and do immense damage to property. However, tropical cyclones are essential features of the Earth's atmosphere, as they transfer heat and energy between the equator and the cooler regions nearer the poles.

A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean between 180° and100°E. Ocean between 180° and100°E. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for almost one-third of the world's annual tropical cyclones.

For organizational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern (North America to 140°W), central (140° to 180°W), and western (180° to 100°E). The Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) for tropical cyclone forecasts is in Japan, with other tropical cyclone warning centers for the northwest Pacific in Hawaii (the Joint Typhoon Warning Center), the Philippines and Hong Kong. While the RSMC names each system, the main name list itself is coordinated among 18 countries that have territories threatened by typhoons each year. Only the Philippines use their own naming list for systems approaching the country.

The Philippines receive the brunt of the landfalls, with China and Japan being impacted slightly less. Some of the deadliest typhoons in history have struck China. Southern China has the longest record of typhoon impacts for the region, with a thousand-year sample via documents within their archives. Taiwan has received the wettest known typhoon on record for the northwest Pacific tropical cyclone basins.

You hear it from the radio and you hear it from other people. Hurricanes and typhoons. These two words seemingly summon a bad picture of devastation, crying families, and lost belongings. But what is the real difference between them? When is a storm called a hurricane and when should it be called a typhoon?

What to do before, during, and after a Typhoon

Before the Typhoon:

Store an adequate supply of food and clean water
Prepare foods that need not be cooked.
Keep flashlights, candles and battery-powered radios within easy reach.
Examine your house and repair its unstable parts.
Always keep yourself updated with the latest weather report.
Harvest crops that can be yielded already.
Secure domesticated animals in a safe place.
For fisher folks, place boats in a safe area.
Should you need to evacuate, bring clothes, first aid kit, candles/flashlight, battery-powered radio, food, etc.

During the Typhoon:

Stay inside the house.
Always keep yourself updated with the latest weather report.
If safe drinking water is not available, boil water for at least 20 minutes. Place it in a container with cover.
Keep an eye on lighted candles or gas lamps.
Do not wade through floodwaters to avoid being electrocuted and contracting diseases.
If there is a need to move to an evacuation center, follow these reminders.
Evacuate calmly.
Close the windows and turn off the main power switch.
Put important appliances and belongings in a high ground.
Avoid the way leading to the river.

After the Typhoon:

If your house was destroyed, make sure that it is already safe and stable when you enter.
Beware of dangerous animals such as snakes that may have entered your house
Watch out for live wires or outlet immersed in water.
Report damaged electrical cables and fallen electric posts to the authorities.
Do not let water accumulate in tires, cans or pots to avoid creating a favorable condition for mosquito breeding.

What’s what?

If we are trying to be exact about terminologies here, hurricanes and typhoons mean the same thing. To make it easier for you, we listed the difference and similarities of hurricanes and typhoons.

Terminology

When a cyclone forms in the north Atlantic Ocean, somewhere in the northeast Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line, or anywhere in the south Pacific Ocean located east of 160E, it is called a hurricane.
When a cyclone is born in the northwest Pacific Ocean somewhere west of the International Date Line then they are called a typhoon.

Rotation

Hurricanes rotate clockwise when in the southern hemisphere and it rotates counter-clockwise when in the northern hemisphere.
Just like hurricanes, typhoons rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere and spin counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Intensity

When talking about the intensity of hurricanes, you need to refer to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. They are categorized from 1 to 5 and the speed of the hurricane and extent of damage increases as the category number increases.
By nature, typhoons are generally stronger than hurricanes thanks to the Pacific’s warmer waters. The intensity of typhoons can be measured through the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale but they are also classified on the Japan Meteorological Agency Typhoon Scale.

Affected areas

Most hurricanes affect areas near the Caribbean sea.
Typhoons generally hit areas in South East Asia and near the China Sea.

Frequency

It is considered lucky if we see less than ten hurricanes a year but 10-15 is the average yearly visit.
People in southeast Asia have it hard. Especially when 25 typhoons knock at your front door at the minimum per year.

In truth, there are only minor differences when it comes to hurricanes and typhoons. It all depends on where they are formed and of course the areas they will hit. One big similarity between them is that they can cause a lot of damage to unprepared areas. People who don’t know they are coming are usually the ones that are hit bad. When you know what to do during such an event, you are prepared to face the worst and in turn you lessen the property and human damage. Everybody wants that, right?

That’s why storm preparedness should be practiced by all. People should be more aware of storm alerts and that makes it easier for you to react and plan accordingly during a typhoon or hurricane. Visit learn.stormalerts.com for more information on storm preparedness and find out how you can save your family by planning out a perfect disaster plan.

Here are some videos from Youtube that show you how it looks like.

Credit to the owner of the video