Tropical cyclone
![Hurricane Isabel (2003) as seen from orbit during Expedition 7 of the International Space Station. The eye, eyewall, and surrounding rainbands, characteristics of tropical cyclones in the narrow sense, are clearly visible in this view from space.](/Images/godic/202502/17/Hurricane_Isabel_from_ISS1604.jpg")
![Typhoon Nabi as seen from the International Space Station, on September 3, 2005.](/Images/godic/202502/17/Typhooon_Nabi_as_seen_from_the_ISS1604.jpg")
![Diagram of a Northern hemisphere hurricane](/Images/godic/202502/17/Hurricane-en.svg1604.png")
![NASA animation of Hurricane Arthur in 2014 showing rain rates and internal structure from GPM satellite data](/Images/godic/202502/17/-HurrArthur720p.webm1605.jpg")
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as hurricane (/ˈhʌrᵻkən/ or /ˈhʌrᵻkeɪn/), typhoon /taɪˈfuːn/, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.