- Physical damage will obviously depend upon the wind speed, which can exceed 30 kph. As the hurricane moves inland it decreases in intensity so damage is less.
- Hurricanes usually move at between 6 and 50 kph. Slower moving storms will obviously cause more damage than faster ones.
- Storms can bring torrential rain over 2000 mm in two days is not uncommon.
- This brings floods and the threat of landslide.
- Finally storm surges on the coast can move far inland.
The effect of the storm depends upon the physical, economic and political factors of the area which it effects.
Tropical cyclone is the general name for all storms that form in tropical or subtropical areas.
Depending on where it originates, tropical cyclones have different names:
Hurricane - used in the Atlantic and Pacific coast of the USA.
Cyclone - Indian and South Pacific oceans.
Typhoon - used in the western North Pacific.