As Hawaiʻi residents and state and county officials assess the damages from Hurricane Lala, the storm continues to push west, further into the Pacific. And that's a region that's having its own challenges with an active storm season.
It's already been an above-average season for typhoons in the Asia Pacific.
Earlier this month, China, Japan and the Philippines were lashed by three separate regional storms in quick succession.
A little more than a week ago, Typhoon Dolphin thundered ashore as China's most powerful typhoon of the year.
And if you're curious about the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane, it's just a matter of location — and point of origin.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says both storm systems are tropical cyclones.
A storm that forms in the Atlantic or eastern Pacific is called a hurricane. If it comes together in the western or northwestern Pacific, it's a typhoon.
In the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific and around Australia, they're generally called cyclones.
Whatever you call them, more are expected this year.
The commercial forecaster Tropical Storm Risk expects an “exceptionally active season,” with typhoon development 60% above the historical average.
The company cites a factor often mentioned by others: a strong El Niño marked by warmer waters and more frequent and intense storms.
