After the devastating cyclone that hit last weekend, many people are asking what the difference between a cyclone and a hurricane is. The answer is absolutely nothing. Different parts of the world have different names for weather events. What we call a hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific goes by cyclone in the Indian Ocean . A hurricane in the western Pacific Ocean is called a typhoon. and are the countries affected by typhoons. Then there is my favorite, the Willy-Willy of Western Australia . What makes it even more confusing is that a Willy-Willy is not just a tropical cyclone but also a whirlwind over a desert in Western Australia . Australians also call Willy-Willy’s a Cocked-Eyed Bob. Confused yet? We know Willy-Willy’s here in the as dust devils.

Tornadoes also have many names. In the science world they are called a vortex but their commonly known as a twister. A twister over the water is known as a waterspout. Small tornadoes that spin up along the leading edge of thunderstorm, the gust front, are gustnadoes and usually touchdown briefly and cause little damage. Remember, a funnel is not a tornado. A funnel becomes a tornado when it touches the ground.

It can be confusing keeping all the names straight, but one word explains the weather yesterday…miserable. Sorry Mom for the rain, chilly temperatures and gustig winds.