Susan Despot, Age 9, Of Shreveport, La., For her question:

Is a cyclone the same as a tornado?

A weather expert might tell you that a tornado is a small cyclone. To him, a cyclone is arty storm with winds spiraling into the center. It may be a tornado, a hurricane or one of the big low pressure areas that moves slowly from the west, bringing a spell of nasty weather across the land.

People around the world have everyday names for storms. We call the smallest cyclone a tornado or a twister. Its furious winds twist into the center and whisk aloft. A hurricane is a much bigger storm, but its winds also spiral into the center and whisk aloft. In the north Pacific, people call the howling hurricane a typhoon, and people in Australia call it a willie willie. The weatherman calls it a tropical cyclone, because it starts in the tropics near the equator.