tropical cyclone v. hurricane v. typhoon

A tropical cyclone is a storm system formed over a large body of warm water, and characterized by the inward spiraling of winds with a sustained speed of at least 119 km/h around a low-pressure center. Cyclones swirl counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cyclones originating in the North Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific Ocean are called hurricanes. When the same type of storm develops in the Northwest Pacific, it’s known as a typhoon. In the Southwest Pacific and the Indian Ocean, they’re called tropical cyclones or cyclonic storms.

The tracks of all tropical cyclones from 1950 to 2005

wiseGEEK on tropical cyclone v. hurricane. v. typhoon

Wikipedia on typhoons