Typhoon #14, heading towards Japan
It’s raining hard today. Typhoon number 14 is now approaching Japan. This typhoon comes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which recently devastated the city of New Orleans and many other parts Louisiana and Alabama back home. Last year, Japan experienced a record number of typhoons, resulting in lost lives and severe damage across the country. Classes will most likely be cancelled tomorrow.
When living in Japan I’m often asked what’s the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane. So naturally, I researched the question. In a nutshell, a hurricane and a typhoon are two names for the same thing. Both are tropical cyclones with winds of 65 knots (75 m.p.h.) or more. When these storms occur in the Western Hemisphere (in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico), we call them hurricanes. When they occur in the North Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line, we call them typhoons.
Note: Check out the meteorological map below of the typhoon approaching Japan.
シアトル・イングリッシュ 
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