how does a typhoon start? And what is it?

Tropical cyclones are heat engines formed over the vast expanses of water that form the world's oceans.

The energy released by a single cyclone system could, if there were a means to harness, provide enough power to supply a city for several years.

Around the world tropical cyclones are given different names.

Over the north Atlantic and eastern Pacific, they are called hurricanes; over the western Pacific, they are called typhoons; and over the Indian Ocean, they are called cyclones.

But they are all essentially the same phenomenon.

They form initially as thunderstorms over warm and humid tropical oceans with an unstable atmosphere.

A rotating mechanism induced by the rotation of the Earth -- the same effect that makes water spiral down a plughole -- causes the clouds to spin and become a tropical cyclone.

Weak vertical wind shear in the atmosphere is required for the clouds to develop high up into an area known as the tropopause, some 10 kilometers aloft.

Good ventilation by an upper-level anticyclone then keeps the whole storm engine running.

In Asia, tropical cyclones are classified into four groups according to maximum sustained winds near the center:

Tropical depressions (less than 62 kilometers per hour);

Tropical storms (63-87 kilometers per hour);

Severe tropical storms (88-117 kilometers per hour);

Typhoons (more than 117 kilometers per hour).

Different weather agencies have slightly different classifications.

For example, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center does not have severe tropical storms, but 'super typhoons' with maximum sustained winds more 240 kilometers per hour.

Tropical cyclones across the northern hemisphere generally move in a west-northwestward direction.

The movement will be affected by other weather systems such as the sub-tropical ridge, westerly trough, or interaction with another tropical cyclone.

As these systems are constantly changing in location and intensity, the movement of tropical cyclones can vary greatly and it is always a challenge for weather agencies to produce an accurate prediction.

A typhoon is a large and powerful tropical cyclone, a low pressure area rotating counterclockwise and containing rising warm air that forms over warm water in the Western Pacific Ocean. Less powerful tropical cyclones are called Tropical Depressions and Tropical Storms. A typhoon is called a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, and a cyclone in the Indian Ocean. Typhoons can inflict terrible damage due to thunderstorms, violent winds, torrential rain and accompanying flooding and landslides, incredible waves, and extremely high tides associated with tidal surges. Hurricane-force winds can reach out as little as 25 miles from the center of a small hurricane and as far as 150 miles in a large hurricane. Tropical storm-force winds can extend as far as 300 miles from the center of a large hurricane. These are very dangerous storms.

Hope this helped.

A typhoon starts from a low depression out in the tropics

and in the oceans, forms into a tropical storm and then

to a severe tropical storm which is a typhoon. Go to

www.hkobservatory.com for complete details. Good luck.

I guess your in the PI, and Durian just went through.

Still OK?, hope so.

I guess you know now, but the one you just had is pretty strong by comparison. Some bring heavy rain, some the strong wind, some both.

A Typhoon is a Hurricane is a Cyclone.

The PI will get 8-10 a year.

Here in Hong Kong, just north of you we get about 3-6.

A tropical cyclone is a storm system fueled by the heat released when moist air rises and the water vapor in it condenses. The term describes the storm's origin in the tropics and its cyclonic nature, which means that its circulation is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Tropical cyclones are distinguished from other cyclonic windstorms such as nor'easters, European windstorms, and polar lows by the heat mechanism that fuels them, which makes them "warm core" storm systems.

Depending on their location and strength, there are various terms by which tropical cyclones are known, such as hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm and tropical depression.

typhoon is a Pacific Hurricane

a typhoon is a natural disaster, we can't know when does a typhoon occur. anywhere, anytime, it will appear itself. typhoon also similar to tornado/twister.

professional weather forecaster knows about typhoons

Typhoon and hurricanes are two names for tropical cyclones.

a typhoon is a hurrican it starts the same way a hurricane does only it is more powerful.

A typhoon is a group on ladies sitting around drinking a certain brand of tea!!..............