Portal:Tropical cyclones
Tropical cyclones portal
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center, a closed low-level circulation and a spiral arrangement of numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rainfall. Tropical cyclones feed on the heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air. They are fuelled by a different heat mechanism than other cyclonic windstorms such as nor'easters, European windstorms and polar lows, leading to their classification as "warm core" storm systems. Most tropical cyclones originate in the doldrums near the Equator, approximately 10 degrees away.
The term "tropical" refers to both the geographic origin of these systems, which form almost exclusively in tropical regions of the globe, as well as to their formation in maritime tropical air masses. The term "cyclone" refers to such storms' cyclonic nature, with anticlockwise rotation in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise rotation in the Southern Hemisphere. Depending on its location and intensity, a tropical cyclone may be referred to by names such as "hurricane", "typhoon", "tropical storm", "cyclonic storm", "tropical depression" or simply "cyclone".
- Pictured: Typhoon Tip
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Hurricane Mitch was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season. At the time, Mitch was the strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean in the month of October, though it has since been surpassed by Hurricane Wilma of the 2005 season. Mitch formed in the western Caribbean Sea, eventually reaching Category 5 status on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS). It remained nearly stationary over water for several days before eventually weakening, striking Honduras as a minimal hurricane.
Though Mitch weakened before striking land, it drifted just off the coast of Central America from October 29 to November 3, dropping historic amounts of rainfall, with unofficial reports of up to 75 inches (1,900 mm). Deaths due to catastrophic flooding made it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history; nearly 11,000 people were killed with over 8,000 left missing by the end of 1998. The flooding caused extreme damage, amounting to around $7 billion (2005 USD), though exact totals will likely never be known.
Recently featured: Hurricane Nora (1997) – Hurricane Claudette (2003) – List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes – Browse
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Visual comparison of Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Andrew. The two storms are at similar positions and nearly identical intensities (933 mbar), but Hurricane Floyd is remarkably larger. In 1999 at the time of Floyd, it was believed that the wind speeds of the hurricanes were nearly identical as well, at 120 knots (140 mph, 220 km/h). In 2002, however, hurricane re-analysis concluded that Andrew had stronger winds than had previously been thought, and in the picture the storm winds are actually close to 145 knots (165 mph, 270 km/h).
Related WikiProjects
WikiProject Tropical cyclones is the central point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones. Feel free to help!
WikiProject Meteorology is the main center point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of meteorology in general.
WikiProject Non-tropical storms is a similar WikiProject which coordinates most of Wikipedia's coverage on notable extratropical cyclones, and the two projects share numerous overlaps.
Subcategories
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Currently active tropical cyclones
Italicized basins are unofficial.
- North Atlantic (2021)
- No active systems
- East and Central Pacific (2021)
- No active systems
- North Indian Ocean (2021)
- No active systems
- Mediterranean (2020–21)
- No active systems
- South-West Indian Ocean (2020–21)
- No active systems
- Australian region (2020–21)
- No active systems
- South Pacific (2020–21)
- No active systems
- South Atlantic (2020–21)
- No active systems
Last updated: 01:38, 23 June 2021 (UTC)
Did you know…
- …that Cyclone Amphan (pictured) in 2020 was the first storm to be classified as a Super Cyclonic Storm in the Bay of Bengal since 1999?
- …that Hurricane Beryl (pictured) in 2018 caused a spike in calls to a mental health hotline, due to the effects of Hurricane Maria on the island a year prior?
- …that the 1858 San Diego hurricane is the only known tropical system that impacted California with hurricane-force winds?
- …that Hurricane Zeta (pictured) in 2020 dropped several inches of snowfall in Boston, Massachusetts and was one of the few Atlantic tropical cyclones that brought accumulating snow?
Tropical cyclone anniversaries
June 22,
- 1972 - Hurricane Agnes made landfall near New York City. Agnes killed 129 people and caused over $2 billion of damage throughout the eastern United States, with the worst of the damage in the states of Pennsylvania and New York.
- 2015 - Tropical Storm Kujira (pictured) reaches tropical storm intensity before making landfall in southern China. Kujira killed nine people and damaged ¥88 million (US$14.4 million).
June 23,
- 1991 - Hurricane Carlos reaches Category 3 major hurricane intensity over in the East Pacific.
- 2001 - Typhoon Chebi made landfall near Fuzhou, China. Chebi killed 82 people and caused over $440 million of damage in mainland China and Taiwan.
- 2015 - The 2015 Gujarat cyclone (pictured) made landfall over in Gujarat, India, causing about $258 million in damages and killing at least 80 people as a weak system.
June 24,
- 1985 - Typhoon Hal moves onshore Hong Kong as a weakening typhoon killing 53 people.
- 1993 - Typhoon Koryn reached its peak intensity with a central pressure of 910 hPa (mbar) in the Philippine Sea.
- 2010 - Hurricane Celia (pictured) reaches Category 5 hurricane intensity, making one of a few systems in the East Pacific to reach that intensity in the month of June.
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