Hurricanes - Tropical Cylcones

A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones may also be known as hurricanes (NW Atlantic Ocian), typhoons (NW Pacific Ocean) or simply as cyclones. A hurricane is a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes. Over the past two centuries, tropical cyclones have been responsible for the deaths of about 1.9 million people worldwide. Large areas of standing water caused by flooding lead to infection, as well as contributing to mosquito-borne illnesses. Hurricanes also have beneficial effects can also be important factors in the precipitation regimes of the places they affect and bring much-needed rain to otherwise-dry regions. Hurricanes in the eastern north Pacific sometimes supply moisture to the Southwestern United States and parts of western Mexico. Additionally, Japan receives over half of its rainfall from typhoons.