Cyclone
A cyclone is an extreme weather pattern which produces very strong winds. It is a massive storm of rotating air around an area of low pressure. They rotate anti-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. They can last for days. Hurricane, typhoon, tropical cyclone, and cyclonic storm are all different names for the same thing. Different names are used to indicate where on the planet the cyclone is occurring. Tornados are smaller violent windstorms characterised by a twisting, funnel shaped cloud. They occur as part of a storm and are only short lived.
Tsunami
A tsunami consists of a series of waves generated when water in a sea (or lake) is rapidly displaced. Such as what occurred off the coast of Indonesia in December 2004 when an Earthquake caused the sea floor to suddenly shift vertically. A tsunami is not a tidal wave. A tidal wave occurs as the tide moves in or out very quickly, such as in the Kimberley’s (North Australia).
