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Every year, HI teams provide emergency assistance to communities around the world affected by these devastating superstorms.
The answer is quite simple: there is no difference. These are three different names for the same weather phenomenon, namely a tropical cyclone. A tropical cyclone is a very powerful tropical storm with sustained wind speeds of at least 119 km/h.
Depending on the region where it occurs, the tropical cyclone is given a different name: in the Americas and the Caribbean, it is called a hurricane, in the Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, it is called a cyclone, and in the western Pacific Ocean, it is called a typhoon.
Tropical cyclones form over the sea when the water temperature is at least 27°C. Once they reach land, they quickly lose strength. For this reason, tropical coastal regions are particularly hard hit.
Due to their geographical location, countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, Haiti, Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Cuba are regularly in the path of tropical cyclones. The Philippines is among the most affected countries in the world, with approximately 8 to 9 typhoons making landfall annually.
Madagascar also experiences severe cyclone seasons. In January 2026, the country was severely affected when Cyclone Fytia crossed the northern part of the country. Barely 10 days later, Cyclone Gezani passed through, and Toamasina, the country’s second-largest city, was largely destroyed by one of the most powerful landfalls in decades for the African nation.
That depends on what you mean by “largest”, of course.
The tropical cyclones with the highest wind speeds ever recorded are actually two storms. In 2015, Hurricane Patricia moved from the Pacific Ocean toward Mexico and reached sustained maximum winds of 346 km/h. Once it made landfall, it quickly weakened. Fifty-four years earlier - in 1961 - Typhoon Nancy reached the same wind speed in the western Pacific Ocean.
The tropical cyclone that lasted the longest was Cyclone Freddy in 2023. It formed northwest of Australia, crossed the entire Indian Ocean and travelled a total of 12,785 km to East Africa, reaching Malawi. Its journey lasted 36 days. Madagascar was one of the hardest-hit countries by Cyclone Freddy. HI launched a large-scale emergency relief intervention.
Typhoon John did not last as long as Freddy, but covered the longest distance ever recorded, namely 13,159 km - almost one third of the Earth’s circumference. As it moved from the western Pacific Ocean toward the American continent, Typhoon John even changed name en route and became Hurricane John.
The World Meteorological Organization identifies Cyclone Bhola as the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded. A combination of strong winds, a 10-metre storm surge and the flat, remote islands off the coast of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) led to an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 deaths in November 1970.
There were several other reasons for the extremely high death toll: emergency relief for the victims arrived slowly. In addition, the lack of preparedness and protective measures made the passage of Cyclone Bhola a particularly tragic moment in history.
The tragedy eventually led to several United Nations resolutions to find ways and means to mitigate the harmful effects of tropical cyclones.
Distribution of relief supplies, cash assistance, provision of shelters, rehabilitation support and psychological assistance are key parts of HI’s response. With every new tropical cyclone that hits a country where the organization is active, HI’s teams stand ready to support the most vulnerable victims and persons with disabilities. In coordination with international and local organizations, the HI assesses where its knowledge and experience can be applied most effectively.
In addition to providing post-disaster assistance, HI works year-round to help communities prepare for future tropical cyclones and help prevent casualties. The Bhola cyclone disaster showed that measures such as early warning systems, evacuation procedures and well-organized emergency response plans could have prevented a significant number of deaths.
HI’s disaster risk reduction work seeks to ensure that the next tropical cyclone does not turn into an emergency, and that human and economic losses are minimized or prevented.
Sources:
-World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
-Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory
-Colorado State University – Department of atmospheric science
-PAGASA
-Institut royal météorologique (IRM)
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
