Which term describes a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean?

Which term describes a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean?

• A. Typhoon
• B. Hurricane
• C. Monsoon
• D. Tornado

Answer: (B)

When a tropical cyclone forms in the Atlantic Ocean, it is called a hurricane. This naming comes from regional practice: storms in the Atlantic (and eastern Pacific) that reach sustained winds of at least 74 mph are hurricanes. In other parts of the world, the same kind of storm is called a typhoon (western Pacific) or a cyclone (Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific). Monsoon refers to a seasonal wind and rainfall pattern, not a tropical cyclone, and a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that forms from thunderstorms on land, not a tropical storm over warm oceans. So the Atlantic storm name fits the location and wind strength criteria for a hurricane.

When a tropical cyclone forms in the Atlantic Ocean, it is called a hurricane. This naming comes from regional practice: storms in the Atlantic (and eastern Pacific) that reach sustained winds of at least 74 mph are hurricanes. In other parts of the world, the same kind of storm is called a typhoon (western Pacific) or a cyclone (Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific). Monsoon refers to a seasonal wind and rainfall pattern, not a tropical cyclone, and a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that forms from thunderstorms on land, not a tropical storm over warm oceans.

So the Atlantic storm name fits the location and wind strength criteria for a hurricane.