Explained: How typhoon Haishen is different from cyclones, hurricanes?

New Delhi, Sep 08: On Sunday, Typhoon Haishen made landfall over southern Japan becoming the country's second landfalling typhoon within a week. According to Japan's meteorological agency, Typhoon Haishen has referred to the tropical storm as "large" and "very strong".

What has been the impact of the tropical storm?

The typhoon is categorised as a Category 4 storm which means well-built framed houses can suffer severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and exterior walls. The Japanese authorities urged more than 8 million residents to evacuate the areas that were at risk. Multiple typhoons hit Japan every year and typically, it can be seen that typhoon season is expected to last till November.

Typhoon Haishen has left over a dozen people injured and left hundreds of thousands of households without electricity in the country. The Mainichi reported that over 425,000 houses in the Nagasaki and Kagoshima prefectures were without electricity.

Meanwhile, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has warned people of torrential rains, strong winds and tidal surges in some areas, even as the tropical storm is now making its way to the Korean peninsula.

The damage associated with strong typhoons include wind damage, water damage, high tide damage and wave damage.

How are typhoons named in Japan?

It can be seen that the JMA numbers typhoons in Japan and the first typhoon to occur after January 1st of the year is called typhoon number 1. While in the US, hurricanes are referred to by English names, the intergovernmental organisation called the Typhoon Committee, which has 14 members including Japan uses Asian names for typhoons that are contributed by the member countries. Haishen was a name recommended by China and means "Sea God" in Chinese.

Why are hurricanes called typhoons in the North Pacific and Asia?

Depending on where they occur, hurricanes may be called typhoons or cyclones. The scientific name for all these kinds of storms is tropical cyclones.

The tropical cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the eastern Pacific Ocean are called hurricanes and the ones that form in the Northwest Pacific are called typhoons. Tropical storms that form in the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian Sea are called cyclones.