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A major tropical storm is hurtling towards Japan with Typhoon Hagibis threatening to derail the Rugby World Cup.

Hagibis, which started in the Western Pacific Ocean, has already cancelled two matches so far with Sunday's games hanging in the balance.

England match against France on Saturday has been called off, along with New Zealand's Italy clash, while Scotland's crunch match against Japan and Ireland's game against Samoa could be cancelled on Sunday too.

But as Hagibis heads towards Japan, just what is a typhoon and how does it differ from a hurricane and a cyclone?

Here's everything you need to know about difference between hurricanes and typhoons.

What's the difference between hurricanes and typhoons?

Differentiating between hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones is reliant on location:

Hurricanes are tropical storms that form in the North Atlantic, northeastern Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

are tropical storms that form in the North Atlantic, northeastern Pacific, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Typhoons are storms that develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

are storms that develop in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean..

When are hurricanes and typhoons most common?

Tropical storms generally are most common in the late summer. This is when there is the greatest difference in temperature between the air and water.

Typhoons usually swirl from May through October.

Hurricanes peak during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs between June 1 to November 30.

How are hurricanes and typhoons measured?

Hurricanes are categorised from 1 to 5, according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is based on wind speed.

Typhoons are classified as "typhoon," "very strong typhoon" or "violent typhoon" and are monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Does the UK have hurricanes?

For a hurricane to happen, it needs to be formed over warm tropical oceans which, as anyone who's taken a dip in one of Britain's seasides will know, we don't have.

The UK has been subject to the aftermath of hurricanes before, though. In 2014, strong winds spurred on by Hurricane Gonzalo caused a tree to topple, killing a woman in Knightsbridge.

The tail-end of Hurricane Lorenzo also hit the UK and Ireland recently, bringing strong winds and rain parts of the islands.

What type of storm is Hagabis?

Japan's Hagibis is a typhoon, with some calling it a "super typhoon".

This means it could bring torrential winds and rain to a country which regularly sees them but not of this scale.

While it is expected to weaken as it approaches Japan, forecasts suggest winds of up to 160mph could hit land. It is the equivalent of a category 5 hurricane.