Difference between typhoon and monsoon

Typhoon, monsoon, hurricane, cyclone: ​​The many different names for these natural phenomena are a bit confusing at first. However, if you take a closer look at the formation, type and geographical location of the individual storms, the difference is immediately more understandable.

The typhoon - impressive and devastating

• This tropical cyclone is caused by a particularly strong low pressure area. It occurs in Asia, America, parts of the Pacific and Indian Oceans and north of the equator.
• The typhoon is characterized by a high wind force, tidal waves and heavy precipitation, which can lead to flooding within a short time. It has a great destructive power and causes serious damage every year, whereby humans are not spared either. An example: The typhoon "Nina" raged in China in 1975, causing several reservoirs to break. 100,000 people were killed.
• From a wind force of 241 kilometers per hour, meteorologists speak of "super typhoons".
instagram viewer
• In America the official name is "hurricane", in the area around the Indian Ocean the name is "cyclone", in the other continents it is "typhoon". But there is no difference here; it is always the same type of cyclone.


Typhoon - worth knowing information about the formation of the tropical storm

Especially in America and Asia one hears again and again of cyclones that hit the country ...

The monsoon - a lot of rain, many variations

• The monsoon is completely different from the typhoon. The monsoons are also characterized by wind and precipitation, but in different forms.
• In contrast to the typhoon, the monsoon is not a storm, but air circulation. These eddies usually bring with them heavy rainfalls over several months, which also lead to flooding.
• The monsoons are vital for the affected regions as the floods bring fertile mud over the fields. It plays a central role in the agricultural areas. Large parts of the population depend on the monsoons to secure their water supply.
• The origin of the monsoons is closely related to seasonal, natural changes in the earth's surface and the wind direction, the position of the sun and the meeting of cold and warm air currents together.
• The monsoon - also known as the rainy season - occurs throughout the tropics and subtropics. There are weak and strong monsoons. The monsoons are particularly pronounced over the Indian Ocean and in India.
• However, even the monsoons are anything but harmless: if there is too much rainfall, the floods can no longer be controlled. They destroy residential areas and cause flood disasters. In many cases, this leads to infectious diseases in the affected people. If it does not rain, however, there is a risk of famine.

The typhoon is therefore mainly characterized by the strong wind force. In contrast, the monsoons are mainly characterized by heavy rainfall.