Difference in tropical storm and cyclone. Which is worse as storms head to Myrtle Beach

A potential tropical cyclone is headed to the Myrtle Beach area bringing up to 50 mph wind gusts and 4 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

What is the difference between a cyclone and a storm? We asked the National Weather Service to find out.

“Tropical cyclone is the generic term that encompasses all tropical activity,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Tim Armstrong. “More specific is a tropical storm.”

Basically all hurricanes and storms are cyclones. The specificity then depends on wind speed, as a tropical storm means sustained wind speeds of 39 mph or greater, according to NOAA. It becomes a hurricane when sustained wind speeds are greater than 74 mph.

As of Monday morning, the storm headed to South Carolina coast is not a tropical cyclone as it doesn’t have a tight center, Armstrong said. It has the potential to become a named system, but if current conditions continue until around 5 p.m., it’ll remain known as a low pressure system.

That said, no matter what kind of storm it’s classified as, the impacts will be the same. Since Saturday morning, the Grand Strand Airport in North Myrtle has gotten 2 inches of rain, according to Armstrong. The fastest wind gust, which was recorded Monday morning, was 33 mph.

Winds will increase throughout the day and then diminish in the evening, according to the National Weather Service briefing. There’s potential for gusts up to 50 mph around the coast and up to Loris. On Monday, 3 to 4 inches of rain have been predicted in the northeast side of Horry County, with 2 to 3 inches expected in the southern part.