5 Quick Facts About Hurricanes

• The difference between a hurricane and a typhoon is simply where it happens. Both are tropical cyclones, called hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and eastern Pacific Ocean, and referred to as typhoons west of the international date line in the Pacific Ocean.
• Names are given to tropical storms (which may or may not develop into a hurricane) in alphabetical order, alternating male and female names, and skipping names that start with the letters Q, U, X, Y and Z.
• It's a common myth that opening a window during a hurricane will help equalize the pressure in your home, but the reality is that doing so will only invite in more wind and debris.
• The deadliest tropical cyclone in history was Bangladesh's Great Bhola Cyclone in November 1970, which killed as many as 500,000 people.
• Superstorm Sandy, while destructive, was downgraded from hurricane status. Officially, it was Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy, but the superstorm name given by media outlets stuck.