The Myanmar cyclone has prompted many Good Questions about natural disasters.
"What is the difference between a cyclone, a typhoon and hurricane?", asks NBC Action News viewer Joe Tovar of Spring Hill, Kansas.
NBC Action News meteorologist Brett Anthony tells me they are all the same, but occur in different regions, thus the different names. Cyclones occur in the Indian Ocean, typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.
Anthony believes the National Weater Service refers to the storms in different definitions because it's easier for them to track the storms and easier for forecasters to keep records of them. The NWS may also favor the different definitions so names of storms will not be duplicated.
By the way, if you would like to help the cyclone victims in Myanmar, there are several agencies offering help. They are: World Vision, Save the Children and Foundation Burma.