The cyclone formerly known as Monica is back over water, but she has weakened to a mere “tropical low” (what we would call a “tropical depression”) and is unlikely to re-develop into a Tropical Cyclone even as she heads southwestward into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf.
Now the big question is: just how strong was she? Despite some reports that Monica, at her peak, rivaled Supertyphoon Tip for the title of strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded on planet Earth, the storm’s exact strength is a matter of some dispute, as Dr. Jeff Masters points out.
Maybe you’ve explained this before and I’ve missed it, but can you tell us, in layman’s terms, the difference between a cyclone and a hurricane (or would it be a cyclone and a tornado? I always thought that they were closer to tornados … Maybe I was wrong).
Brendan,
I wish our local news (WLOS, Asheville, NC) would use you rather than those inept network sources they have to pay for! This morning they reported that Monica had (1) hit Darwin as a category 5 storm and (2) had winds [not gusts–they said winds] of 271 mph. I think that was an exaggeration as well.
Bob, yeah, that’s pretty dumb of them. The 271 would be kilometers per hour, not miles per hour. And it most certainly didn’t hit Darwin as a Cat 5!
Josh, cyclone = typhoon = hurricane. They just call them different things in different parts of the world. A tornado is a completely different phenomenon… tornadoes are tiny compared to hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones. Comparing tornadoes to hurricanes is a bit like comparing Mill Pond to Lake Superior. Yeah, they’re both bodies of water, but… :) The most intense tornadoes, at their worst, have the capacity to produce stronger winds than even the most intense hurricanes…. but they damage a much smaller area because, well, they’re much smaller. They’re also spurred by completely different conditions… hurricanes are fueled by warm, ocean waters and can last for weeks; tornadoes are spawned by overland thunderstorms, and last no more than a few hours at most.
Thanks, Brendano… I appreciate the Mill Pond analogy. I know the difference between a hurricane and a tornado … I just always thought that cyclones and tornadoes were the same thing… Thanks for straightening me out.
April 26th, 2006 at 8:22:13 am
Maybe you’ve explained this before and I’ve missed it, but can you tell us, in layman’s terms, the difference between a cyclone and a hurricane (or would it be a cyclone and a tornado? I always thought that they were closer to tornados … Maybe I was wrong).
April 26th, 2006 at 8:40:05 am
Brendan,
I wish our local news (WLOS, Asheville, NC) would use you rather than those inept network sources they have to pay for! This morning they reported that Monica had (1) hit Darwin as a category 5 storm and (2) had winds [not gusts–they said winds] of 271 mph. I think that was an exaggeration as well.
April 26th, 2006 at 9:15:29 am
Bob, the coverage in Australia wasn’t that much better. I prefer to get all my weather information direct from the weather nerd himself :)
April 26th, 2006 at 10:35:44 am
Heh.
Bob, yeah, that’s pretty dumb of them. The 271 would be kilometers per hour, not miles per hour. And it most certainly didn’t hit Darwin as a Cat 5!
Josh, cyclone = typhoon = hurricane. They just call them different things in different parts of the world. A tornado is a completely different phenomenon… tornadoes are tiny compared to hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones. Comparing tornadoes to hurricanes is a bit like comparing Mill Pond to Lake Superior. Yeah, they’re both bodies of water, but… :) The most intense tornadoes, at their worst, have the capacity to produce stronger winds than even the most intense hurricanes…. but they damage a much smaller area because, well, they’re much smaller. They’re also spurred by completely different conditions… hurricanes are fueled by warm, ocean waters and can last for weeks; tornadoes are spawned by overland thunderstorms, and last no more than a few hours at most.
April 26th, 2006 at 11:10:03 am
More on hurricanes vs. tornadoes here.
April 26th, 2006 at 1:11:09 pm
Eathkwakes! Huwicanes! Tonados! SMOG!!!!!!!
April 26th, 2006 at 2:30:01 pm
Thanks, Brendano… I appreciate the Mill Pond analogy. I know the difference between a hurricane and a tornado … I just always thought that cyclones and tornadoes were the same thing… Thanks for straightening me out.
September 6th, 2006 at 4:31:45 am
What is the difference between tornadoes, cyclones and twisters. Does anyone know?