Typhoons and hurricanes are localized names for tropical cyclones, and there is no substantive difference between the two. Normally tropical cyclones that are born in the Northwest Pacific or South China Sea are called typhoons. Those in the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the northeastern Pacific Ocean are called hurricanes.
颱風和颶風同屬熱帶氣旋，兩者的性質並無二致，只是名稱不同，通常在北太平洋、中國南海產生的稱為颱風；在大西洋西部、加勒比海、墨西哥灣和北太平洋東部生成者則稱颶風。