Same storm, different names. Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all tropical cyclones — spinning storms fuelled by warm waters — called different names depending on their geographical location, earning one of these titles once winds exceed 119 kilometres per hour. Each features a central ‘eye of the storm’ and a rotating, organised structure of clouds and thunderstorms. They can span hundreds of kilometres, last days to weeks, and unleash destructive winds and heavy rain on the regions they h