The only difference between a hurricane and a typhoon is the location where the storm occurs.

颶風(fēng)和臺(tái)風(fēng)之間的唯一區(qū)別就是風(fēng)暴發(fā)生的位置不同。

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A close-up satellite image of Hurricane Isabel taken on Sept. 15, 2003. The National Ocean Service helps coastal communities prepare for and recover from major coastal storms such as hurricanes.

2003年9月15日，颶風(fēng)伊莎貝爾拍攝的特寫(xiě)衛(wèi)星圖像。美國(guó)國(guó)家海洋局幫助沿海地區(qū)為颶風(fēng)等主要沿海風(fēng)暴做準(zhǔn)備和恢復(fù)。

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Hurricanes and typhoons are the same weather phenomenon: tropical cyclones. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation.

颶風(fēng)和臺(tái)風(fēng)是同一種天氣現(xiàn)象：熱帶氣旋。熱帶氣旋是氣象學(xué)家用來(lái)描述一個(gè)有規(guī)律旋轉(zhuǎn)著的云團(tuán)和雷暴氣象系統(tǒng)的通用術(shù)語(yǔ)。它們形成于熱帶或亞熱帶水域，且具有封閉的低水平環(huán)流。

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The weakest tropical cyclones are called tropical depressions. If a depression intensifies such that its maximum sustained winds reach 39 miles per hour, the tropical cyclone becomes a tropical storm. Once a tropical cyclone reaches maximum sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher, it is then classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone, depending upon where the storm originates in the world.

最弱的熱帶氣旋被稱(chēng)為熱帶低氣壓。如果低氣壓區(qū)增強(qiáng)，使其最大持續(xù)風(fēng)速達(dá)到每小時(shí)39英里（約為63公里），則熱帶氣旋將成為熱帶風(fēng)暴。一旦熱帶氣旋達(dá)到每小時(shí)74英里（約119公里）或更高的最大持續(xù)風(fēng)速，它就會(huì)被歸類(lèi)為颶風(fēng)、臺(tái)風(fēng)或熱帶氣旋，名稱(chēng)具體取決于風(fēng)暴形成于世界上哪塊地區(qū)。

In the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific, the term hurricane is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a typhoon. Meanwhile, in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the generic term tropical cyclone is used, regardless of the strength of the wind associated with the weather system.

在北大西洋、北太平洋中部和北太平洋東部，就使用“颶風(fēng)”一詞。而發(fā)源于西北太平洋的同類(lèi)氣象擾動(dòng)則被稱(chēng)為“臺(tái)風(fēng)“。同時(shí)，如果是在南太平洋和印度洋，則使用通用術(shù)語(yǔ)“熱帶氣旋”，無(wú)論與天氣系統(tǒng)相關(guān)的風(fēng)的強(qiáng)度如何。

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The ingredients for tropical cyclones include a pre-existing weather disturbance, warm tropical oceans, moisture, and relatively light winds. If the right conditions persist long enough, they can combine to produce the violent winds, incredible waves, torrential rains, and floods we associate with this phenomenon.

熱帶氣旋的成分包括預(yù)先存在的氣象干擾、溫暖的熱帶海洋、水汽和相對(duì)較弱的風(fēng)。如果這樣合適的條件持續(xù)足夠長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間，它們就會(huì)結(jié)合起來(lái)產(chǎn)生狂風(fēng)巨浪、暴雨以及與這類(lèi)現(xiàn)象相關(guān)的洪水。

At times, when a weather system does not meet all of these conditions, but is forecast to bring tropical storm or hurricane force winds to land in the next day or two, it is called a potential tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin and the central and eastern North Pacific basins.

有時(shí)候，雖然天氣系統(tǒng)暫時(shí)不能滿(mǎn)足所有這些條件，但預(yù)計(jì)在未來(lái)一兩天內(nèi)將形成熱帶風(fēng)暴或颶風(fēng)登陸內(nèi)陸，這種氣象就被稱(chēng)為“潛在熱帶氣旋”，一般出現(xiàn)在大西洋盆地和中部以及北太平洋東部盆地。

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In the Atlantic, hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to November 30. Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period. However, there is nothing magical about these dates. Hurricanes can and do occur outside of this six month period.

在大西洋，颶風(fēng)季節(jié)從6月1日正式開(kāi)始，一直延續(xù)到到11月30日。有97％的熱帶氣旋活動(dòng)都發(fā)生在這段時(shí)間內(nèi)。然而，這些日期并沒(méi)什么特殊的。在這六個(gè)月之外，颶風(fēng)可以而且的確會(huì)發(fā)生。

翻譯：chenkeer