What is a typhoon?

Typhoon is actually a strong tropical cyclone. Tropical cyclone is a strong weather system that occurs in tropical ocean. Like a vortex moving forward in a flowing river, it rotates rapidly around the center and moves forward with the surrounding atmosphere.

Like temperate cyclones, the airflow of tropical cyclones in the northern hemisphere rotates counterclockwise around the center; In the southern hemisphere, the situation is just the opposite. The closer to the center of a tropical cyclone, the lower the air pressure and the greater the wind force. However, tropical cyclones with strong development, such as typhoons, have a calm and clear sky area at their center, that is, the typhoon eye.

The intensity of tropical cyclones occurring in tropical oceans varies greatly. Before 1989, tropical cyclones with the maximum wind force of 8 or above near the typhoon center were called typhoons in China, and tropical cyclones with the maximum wind force of 12 near the typhoon center were called strong typhoons.

Tropical cyclone is the general name of tropical depression, tropical storm, strong tropical storm and typhoon. However, due to the weak destructive power of tropical depression, traditional tropical cyclones generally do not include tropical depression.