Powerful, rotating storm systems that form over warm tropical waters are known by many names around the globe, yet they represent the same underlying phenomenon. These atmospheric giants are characterized by a low-pressure center, organized deep convection, and closed circulation of winds at the surface. The varied names used to describe these storms reflect their geographic location, stage of development, and ultimate intensity.
Defining the Core System
The generic scientific term for these weather events is a tropical cyclone, which is a warm-core, non-frontal system. This system draws its energy from the heat released when water vapor evaporates and then condenses. A tropical cyclone only reaches the status of a full-fledged hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone when its maximum sustained wind speeds reach 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour) or greater.
Once this threshold is crossed, the storm typically develops a distinct, calm center known as the eye, surrounded by the eyewall of strongest winds and thunderstorms. The intensity of these mature storms is measured using classification systems like the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific basins. This scale categorizes storms from Category 1 to Category 5 based on sustained wind speed.
Geographic Terminology
The primary reason a hurricane has other names is purely geographic, as the terms describe the same type of severe weather event in different ocean basins. The name “hurricane” is specifically used for storms that develop in the North Atlantic Ocean, the central North Pacific Ocean, and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. The term itself is thought to derive from the name of an indigenous Taíno storm deity, Juracán.
An identical storm forming in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, which includes the area around Asia and the Philippines, is called a “typhoon.” The third major name, “cyclone,” is reserved for storms that occur in the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
The term “cyclone” is also sometimes modified based on the specific Indian Ocean region to “Severe Cyclonic Storm” or “Very Severe Cyclonic Storm.” This geographical distinction is the most direct answer to what other name a hurricane may have.
Stages of Development
Before a system is strong enough to be classified as a hurricane, it passes through several stages of increasing intensity, each with its own name. The process begins as a tropical disturbance, which is a loosely organized area of thunderstorms. If the system gains organization and develops a closed low-level circulation, it is upgraded to a tropical depression.
A tropical depression features maximum sustained winds of 38 miles per hour (61 kilometers per hour) or less. When the winds intensify further, reaching sustained speeds between 39 and 73 miles per hour (63 and 118 kilometers per hour), the system is classified as a tropical storm. It is at the tropical storm stage that the system is officially assigned a name from a pre-determined list.
The Naming Process
The assignment of a specific identifier to a tropical storm is managed by international bodies, most prominently the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which coordinates the process globally. This administrative naming process is separate from the geographic terminology and is designed to simplify communication for forecasters, media, and the public. Names are pulled from rotating alphabetical lists established years in advance for each tropical cyclone basin.
In the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific, six lists of names are rotated, meaning the list from a given year will be used again six years later. A name is permanently removed, or retired, from the rotating list if the storm it identified was particularly deadly or destructive, like Katrina or Sandy, and a replacement name is chosen.