Portal:Tropical_cyclones References

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Tropical Cyclones Portal

P:TC

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 fueled 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, approximately ten degrees from the Equator.

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".

Types of cyclone: 1. A "Typhoon" is a tropical cyclone located in the North-west Pacific Ocean which has the most cyclonic activity and storms occur year-round. 2. A "Hurricane" is also a tropical cyclone located at the North Atlantic Ocean or North-east Pacific Ocean which have an average storm activity and storms typically form between May 15 and November 30. 3. A "Cyclone" is a tropical cyclone that occurs in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Selected named cyclone - show another

Typhoon Abby on August 8

Typhoon Abby, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Diding, was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone which was the second typhoon to strike Japan within a span of a few days in August 1983. First noted southeast of Guam on July 31, development of this system was initially slow to occur; it was first classified on August 5, and was upgraded into a tropical storm the next day. Intensification was rapid as Abby slowly recurved northward on August 7 and 8. After reaching peak intensity with winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) early on August 9, Abby slowly weakened, though the storm briefly re-intensified on August 11. By August 14, winds had diminished to 100 mph (160 km/h). Abby finally weakened back into a tropical storm on August 17 not long after making landfall in Japan. The following day, Abby completed the transition to an extratropical cyclone after moving through central Japan. However, meteorologists continued monitoring the storm for six more days.

In the Philippines, heavy rainfall resulted in a landslide that crushed a house in Manila, killing three people. Two others drowned due to rough seas. Typhoon Abby also brought several consecutive days of rain to southern and central Japan, resulting in widespread damage. Commercial traffic by land, sea, and air was also paralyzed by the cyclone, stranding 25,900. Moreover, over 10,000 fishing boats took refuge in harbors. Around 3,400 homes were flooded and 24 homes were either damaged or destroyed. Additionally, 89 roads were also damaged. About a dozen people were injured during a flash flood that destroyed three houses. Three more dwellings were washed away when a river overflowed its banks. Nationwide, 27 people were hurt and two persons were killed. One person was listed as missing. ( Full article...)

List of selected named cyclones

Selected article - show another

Track of Hurricane Ivan, according to the Saffir-Simpson scale

The meteorological history of Hurricane Ivan, the longest tracked tropical cyclone of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, lasted from late August through late September. The hurricane developed from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 31. Tracking westward due to a ridge, favorable conditions allowed it to develop into Tropical Depression Nine on September 2 in the deep tropical Atlantic Ocean. The cyclone gradually intensified until September 5, when it underwent rapid deepening and reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale; at the time Ivan was the southernmost major North Atlantic hurricane on record.

Ivan quickly weakened due to dry air, but it gradually reorganized, passing just south of Grenada as a major hurricane on September 7. The hurricane attained Category 5 status in the central Caribbean Sea. Over the subsequent days its intensity fluctuated largely due to eyewall replacement cycles, and Ivan passed just south of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba with winds at or slightly below Category 5 status. Turning northward and encountering unfavorable conditions, Ivan gradually weakened before making landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama on September 16 with winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). The cyclone quickly weakened to tropical depression status as it turned to the northeast, and Ivan transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 18. ( Full article...)

List of selected articles

Selected image - show another

Storm surge from Hurricane Isabel in Bowleys Quarters, Maryland

More selected images

Selected season - show another

The 1969 Atlantic hurricane season was the most active Atlantic hurricane season since the 1933 season, and was the final year of the most recent positive ("high-quality") Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) era. The hurricane season officially began on June 1, and lasted until November 30. Altogether, 12 tropical cyclones reached hurricane strength, the highest number on record at the time; a mark not surpassed until 2005. The season was above-average despite an El Niño, which typically suppresses activity in the Atlantic Ocean, while increasing tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific Ocean. Activity began with a tropical depression that caused extensive flooding in Cuba and Jamaica in early June. On July 25, Tropical Storm Anna developed, the first named storm of the season. Later in the season, Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine caused severe local flooding in the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia in September.

The most significant storm of the season was Hurricane Camille, which peaked as a Category 5 hurricane on August 17 and devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States upon striking Mississippi the next day. Strong winds and storm surge heights especially impacted Mississippi and Louisiana. Later in its duration, the storm caused severe flooding Virginia and West Virginia. Camille alone was responsible for 259 deaths and $1.43 billion. It was the costliest United States hurricane at the time, until Hurricane Agnes in 1972. In early September, Hurricane Francelia caused deadly floods in Central America, with 271 people killed in Central America. Hurricane Inga had the third longest duration of an Atlantic tropical cyclone. The last storm, Hurricane Martha, was the only known tropical cyclone to make landfall in Panama. Martha caused minor flooding in the former and Costa Rica. Overall, the systems of the season collectively caused 535 deaths and over $1.5 billion in losses. ( Full article...)

List of selected seasons

Related portals

Currently active tropical cyclones

Italicized basins are unofficial.

North Atlantic (2024): No active systems

East and Central Pacific (2024): No active systems

West Pacific (2024): No active systems

North Indian Ocean (2024): No active systems

Mediterranean (2023–24): No active systems

South-West Indian Ocean (2023–24): No active systems

Australian region (2023–24): Tropical Low 12U

South Pacific (2023–24): No active systems

South Atlantic (2023–24): No active systems

Last updated: 07:47, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

Tropical cyclone anniversaries

April 17

2008 - Typhoon Neoguri reaches peak intensity with 1-minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) over in the South China Sea.
2016 - While moving through the Seychelles, Cyclone Fantala became the strongest recorded tropical cyclone in the south-west Indian Ocean, with 10-minute winds of 255 km/h (155 mph).
2021 - Typhoon Surigae (pictured) reaches peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 305 km/h (190 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 895 hPa, making it the strongest Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclone to form before the month of May.

April 18

2000 - Tropical Storm Innocente (pictured) reached its peak intensity with winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) in the central Indian Ocean. Innocente did not affect any land.
2000 - Cyclone Paul begins weakening after it attained peak strength as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone by BoM.

April 19

1945 - Tropical Storm Ann, the first named tropical system in the Northwest Pacific, develops over in Micronesia.
1959 - Typhoon Tilda attains peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph) as it was west of Guam.
2000 - Cyclone Rosita (pictured) reached its peak intensity with a central pressure of 930 hPa ( mbar) to the north of Broome, Western Australia.

Did you know…

…that the Joint Typhoon Warning Center considers that Typhoon Vera (pictured) of 1986 is actually two distinct systems, formed from two separated low-level circulations?
…that Hurricane Agatha (pictured) was the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall in Mexico in May since records began in 1949?
…that Cyclone Raquel (track pictured) travelled between the Australian and South Pacific basins between the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons, spanning both seasons in both basins?
…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?

Did you know archive

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various tropical cyclone-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 2Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (from Cyclone)
Image 3 Subtropical Storm Alex in the north Atlantic Ocean in January 2016 (from Cyclone)
Image 4All but the most expensive bottles of water were sold out at this Publix supermarket before Hurricane Irma; in the week preceding the storm, water sold out soon after shipments arrived (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 5Chart with concurrent information for Hurricane Arlene and Tropical Storm Bret logged and plotted (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 6Flooding in Port Arthur, Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey. Harvey was the wettest and second-costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 7A polar low over the Sea of Japan in December 2009 (from Cyclone)
Image 8
South Pacific cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 9The number of $1 billion Atlantic hurricanes almost doubled from the 1980s to the 2010s, and inflation-adjusted costs have increased more than elevenfold. The increases have been attributed to climate change and to greater numbers of people moving to coastal areas. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 10Comparison between extratropical and tropical cyclones on surface analysis (from Cyclone)
Image 11Tropical cyclones form when the energy released by the condensation of moisture in rising air causes a positive feedback loop over warm ocean waters. (from Cyclone)
Image 12Broken concrete utility pole in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which ranks fourth in costliest US tropical cyclones. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 13
Australian region cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 14
Pacific typhoon
(from Cyclone)
Image 15The initial extratropical low-pressure area forms at the location of the red dot on the image. It is usually perpendicular (at a right angle to) the leaf-like cloud formation seen on satellite during the early stage of cyclogenesis. The location of the axis of the upper level jet stream is in light blue. (from Cyclone)
Image 16
Atlantic hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 17Percentages of hurricane deaths in the United States from 1970 to 1999. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 18The dangerous semicircle is the upper-right corner, with the arrow marking the direction of motion of a Northern Hemisphere storm. Note that typhoons, etc. are asymmetrical, and semicircle is a convenient misnomer. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 19 Hurricane Isabel (2003)'s effect on the North Carolina Outer Banks (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 20A fictitious synoptic chart of an extratropical cyclone affecting the UK and Ireland. The blue arrows between isobars indicate the direction of the wind, while the "L" symbol denotes the centre of the "low". Note the occluded, cold and warm frontal boundaries. (from Cyclone)
Image 21An extratropical cyclone near Iceland (from Cyclone)
Image 22Surface weather map of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane moving up the west coast of Florida (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 23An example of a chart for Matthew showing its five-day forecast track (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 24Personnel and equipment from the National Guard of the United States en route to Hurricane Florence response efforts in 2018
Image 25 2017 Atlantic hurricane season summary map (from Cyclone)
Image 26Radar image of Hurricane Erika making landfall over Northeastern Mexico (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 27The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 28Hurricane response involves working in hazardous conditions, including contamination and electrocution hazards from floodwater.
Image 29 Hurricane Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 (from Cyclone)
Image 30The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 31
Pacific hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 32Aerial image of destroyed houses in Tacloban, following Typhoon Haiyan (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 33
North Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)

Featured list - show another

This is a featured list, which represents some of the best list articles on English Wikipedia.

Eighty-seven tropical or subtropical cyclones have affected the state of New York since the 17th century. The state of New York is located along the East Coast of the United States, in the Northeastern portion of the country. The strongest of these storms was the 1938 New England hurricane, which struck Long Island as a Category 3 storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale. Killing more than 60 people, it was also the deadliest. Tropical cyclones have affected the state primarily in September but have also hit during every month of the hurricane season, June through November. Tropical cyclones rarely make landfall on the state, although it is common for remnants of tropical cyclones to produce heavy rainfall and flooding. ( Full article...)

List of Featured lists

Topics

Subcategories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

Related WikiProjects

WikiProject Tropical cyclones is the central point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones. Feel free to help!

WikiProject Weather is the main center point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of meteorology in general, and the parent project of WikiProject Tropical cyclones. Three other branches of WikiProject Weather in particular share significant overlaps with WikiProject Tropical cyclones:

The Non-tropical storms task force coordinates most of Wikipedia's coverage on extratropical cyclones, which tropical cyclones often transition into near the end of their lifespan.
The Floods task force takes on the scope of flooding events all over the world, with rainfall from tropical cyclones a significant factor in many of them.
WikiProject Severe weather documents the effects of extreme weather such as tornadoes, which landfalling tropical cyclones can produce.