Re: What is the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane?

A typhoon is what hurricanes are called in the Pacific Ocean. Both hurricanes and typhoons are tropical cyclones. Hurricanes are a bit more specifically defined than typhoons. The American Heritage dictionary defines a hurricane as a severe tropical cyclone originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains. The same source describes a typhoon as a tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans.