[unread]

"Floods, dangerous surf forecast for California from Hurricane Kay.

I thought, if it was in the Pacific, it was a typhoon... (?)

[jjotto]

This has come up plenty on FR. Basically, east of the International Date Line is a hurricane, west of IDL is a typhoon.

[metmom]

I thought, if it was in the Pacific, it was a typhoon... (?)

Generally, yes, but…….

What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/cyclone.html

“ 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. 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.”