A
typhoon is a mature
tropical cyclone that develops in the western part of the
North Pacific Ocean between
180° and
100°E. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for almost one-third of the world's annual tropical cyclones. For organisational purposes, the northern Pacific Ocean is divided into three regions: the eastern (North America to
140°W), central (140° to 180°W), and western (180° to 100°E). The
Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) for tropical cyclone forecasts is in
Japan, with other tropical cyclone warning centers for the northwest Pacific in
Honolulu (the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center), the
Philippines and
Hong Kong. While the RSMC names each system, the main name list itself is coordinated among 18 countries that have territories threatened by typhoons each year. The Philippines use their own naming list for systems approaching the country.