Talking Stormy Weather
2022-10-08
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from VSRC Murthy in India about some stormy weather.
2Hello VOA Learning English,
3I have a question about the differences and similarities among these words: "hurricanes," "typhoons," "tornadoes," "cyclones," and "thunderstorms."
4Thank you,
5VSRC Murthy from Hyderabad, India.
6Thank you, VSRC Murthy! Your question is timed well.
7Powerful storms have been in the news recently, from a hurricane that hit the southern United States to a typhoon that blew into the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
8Which word you might use to describe a storm often depends on where you are in the world. Let's start with hurricane.
9Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that word means a tropical cyclone with winds of 119 kilometers an hour or greater, and usually including rain, thunder, and lightning.
10The term is used for such storms in the North Atlantic Ocean down to the Caribbean Sea.
11Typhoons are the same kind of powerful ocean storm, or cyclone, but that term is used for storms in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
12In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, these storms are more commonly called tropical cyclones.
13All of these storms are considered cyclones because they rotate or move in a circular motion across tropical or subtropical warm waters.
14You may have heard names like "tropical depression" or "tropical storm" in news coverage of hurricanes and the like.
15These kinds of storms can lead to a hurricane or typhoon depending on the speed of the winds.
16A storm with winds below 62.7 kilometers per hour is a "tropical depression."
17If the winds are from 62.7 to 118 kilometers per hour, the storm is called a "tropical storm."
18And lastly, anything over 119 kilometers per hour is consider a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone.
19Hurricanes and typhoons include thunderstorms and storm surges from ocean water that can lead to coastal flooding.
20Thunderstorms are heavy rainstorms in which you can hear thunder.
21During thunderstorms, winds are strong and there is always lightning.
22You can find thunderstorms in different parts of the world, not just in the tropics.
23When thunderstorms become severe with intense winds, tornadoes can form.
24Tornadoes are narrow storms that start in a thunderstorm and touch the ground.
25They are very violent and destructive.
26Here are a few examples of how we can use these words in sentences:
27Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean is from June through the end of November.
28Typhoon Noru quickly strengthened into a super typhoon last week with winds up to 175 kilometers per hour.
29Often in the summer, thunderstorms form in the afternoons bringing heavy rain and lightning.
30Tornado Alley is an area in the central United States where tornadoes happen often.
31Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, VSRC Murthy!
32What question do you have about American English?
33Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
34And that's Ask a Teacher.
35I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from VSRC Murthy in India about some stormy weather. 2Question: 3Hello VOA Learning English, 4I have a question about the differences and similarities among these words: "hurricanes," "typhoons," "tornadoes," "cyclones," and "thunderstorms." 5Thank you, 6VSRC Murthy from Hyderabad, India. 7Answer: 8Thank you, VSRC Murthy! Your question is timed well. Powerful storms have been in the news recently, from a hurricane that hit the southern United States to a typhoon that blew into the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. 9Which word you might use to describe a storm often depends on where you are in the world. Let's start with hurricane. 10Merriam-Webster Dictionary says that word means a tropical cyclone with winds of 119 kilometers an hour or greater, and usually including rain, thunder, and lightning. The term is used for such storms in the North Atlantic Ocean down to the Caribbean Sea. 11Typhoons are the same kind of powerful ocean storm, or cyclone, but that term is used for storms in the Northwest Pacific Ocean. 12In the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, these storms are more commonly called tropical cyclones. 13All of these storms are considered cyclones because they rotate or move in a circular motion across tropical or subtropical warm waters. 14You may have heard names like "tropical depression" or "tropical storm" in news coverage of hurricanes and the like. These kinds of storms can lead to a hurricane or typhoon depending on the speed of the winds. 15A storm with winds below 62.7 kilometers per hour is a "tropical depression." If the winds are from 62.7 to 118 kilometers per hour, the storm is called a "tropical storm." And lastly, anything over 119 kilometers per hour is consider a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone. 16Hurricanes and typhoons include thunderstorms and storm surges from ocean water that can lead to coastal flooding. 17Thunderstorms are heavy rainstorms in which you can hear thunder. During thunderstorms, winds are strong and there is always lightning. You can find thunderstorms in different parts of the world, not just in the tropics. 18When thunderstorms become severe with intense winds, tornadoes can form. Tornadoes are narrow storms that start in a thunderstorm and touch the ground. They are very violent and destructive. 19Here are a few examples of how we can use these words in sentences: 20Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean is from June through the end of November. 21Typhoon Noru quickly strengthened into a super typhoon last week with winds up to 175 kilometers per hour. 22Often in the summer, thunderstorms form in the afternoons bringing heavy rain and lightning. 23Tornado Alley is an area in the central United States where tornadoes happen often. 24Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, VSRC Murthy! 25What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 26And that's Ask a Teacher. 27I'm Faith Pirlo. 28Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 29_______________________________________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31rotate - v. to turn or cause something to turn in a circle 32tropical - adj. of or occurring in the tropics 33surge - n. an abnormal rise in the level of the sea along a coast caused by the onshore winds of a severe cyclone 34thunder - n. the loud sound that comes from lightening in the sky 35alley - n. a narrow street or passage 36_______________________________________________________________________ 37Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 38Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.