What are cyclones?
Are cyclones the same as tornadoes and hurricanes? For many years the word cyclone was widely misunderstood to mean only a twister or tornado – probably because a cyclone is what Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz called the Kansas storm. Cyclone is a generic term that describes all classes of storms from local thunderstorms and tiny dust devils to monstrous hurricanes and typhoons – the greatest storms on earth. It comes from the Greek word, kyklon, meaning cycle, circle or coil of a snake and refers to all circular wind systems. All cyclones whether they be tornadoes or typhoons involve winds which converge in toward the centre of the storm, around a centre of relatively low pressure. That’s why cyclone and low are used interchangeably. Apart from that similarity, the family of cyclones is different in many aspects – where they form, their size and effects. Even though the word cyclone is very loosely applied to any strong wind today, the name is usually reserved for huge, intense tropical
