@gooch. Just to clarify: a cyclone, hurricane and typhoon are all the same type of storm. They are all classified as “tropical cyclones”. They get the different names from the places where they hit: typhoons hit Japan, cyclones is a general term most of the world uses, and we call them hurricanes. In the Northern hemisphere, they spin counter clockwise, if they exist (not just start) in the Southern hemisphere, they spin clockwise. It is very unlikely for one to “cross” the equator as a lack of Coriolis would inhibit their spin.
@wildflower: No, typhoons are the same as hurricanes, they just occur in the western pacific. [edit] I just saw your [edit]. Cool. ;-)
So to summarize: Typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, etc are the same things. They dervie their names from the places that experience them. They are all “tropical cyclones” (cyclone refers to their spinning nature).