Weather Glossary

The word cyclone comes from the Greek word kyllon which means cycle, circle or coil of a snake. In the Northern Hemisphere, the counter-clockwise movement of air around and into any low pressure system is called cyclonic circulation. A low which intensifies in the tropics is called a Tropical Cyclone; if the storm's winds reach 120 kilometres per hour or more, the storm is called a hurricane. In the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and around Australia, hurricanes are called cyclones (See Hurricane, and Typhoon)