List of tropical cyclone records
Encyclopedia
This is a condensed list of tropical cyclone
records.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
records.
Major records
| Characteristic | Record | Date | Location | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most intense (lowest central pressure Atmospheric pressure Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point... ) |
870 mb Bar (unit) The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar... (hPa Pascal (unit) The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre... ) (25.69 inHg Inch of mercury Inches of mercury, ' is a unit of measurement for pressure. It is still widely used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States, but is seldom used elsewhere.... ) |
October 12, 1979 | Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone on record. The nineteenth tropical storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the monsoon trough on October 4 near Pohnpei... in northwest Pacific Ocean Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World... |
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| Most intense (maximum sustained surface wind Wind Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space... ) |
85 m/s Metre per second Metre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed and velocity , defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds.... (190mph, 165 kt, 305 km/h) |
Several Dates | Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone on record. The nineteenth tropical storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the monsoon trough on October 4 near Pohnpei... , Typhoon Megi Typhoon Megi (2010) Typhoon Megi was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, attaining the lowest atmospheric pressure since Vanessa in 1984 and the highest 10-minute sustained winds since Bess in 1982 in the northwestern Pacific Ocean... , Typhoon Grace, Typhoon Vera, and Typhoon Sarah 1959 Pacific typhoon season The 1959 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1959, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December... in Northwest Pacific and Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen Hurricane Allen was the first and strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season. It was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history, one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale on three separate occasions, and spent more time... , and Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River... in Atlantic |
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| Most intense (unofficial maximum sustained winds Wind Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space... ) |
96 m/s Metre per second Metre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed and velocity , defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds.... (215mph, 186 kt, 345 km/h) |
September 12, 1961 | Typhoon Nancy in west Pacific Basin | |
| Fastest intensification | 100 mb (hPa) from 976-876 mb (hPa) in just 24 h | September 1983 | Typhoon Forrest in northwest Pacific Ocean | |
| Highest storm surge Storm surge A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea... |
13 m (42 ft) | March 5, 1899 | Cyclone Mahina Cyclone Mahina Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Australia and the surrounding region with a devastating storm surge on 4 March 1899, killing over 400 people, the largest death toll of any natural disaster in Australian history.-Intensity:... in Bathurst Bay Bathurst Bay Bathurst Bay is the name of a 19th century peninsula settlement that is now a tourist attraction on Cape York in northern Queensland, near the Great Barrier Reef. The British first settled Bathurst Bay sometime in the early-19th Century. The settlement had few tradable goods because of its climate... , Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
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| Largest tropical cyclone (winds from center) |
Gale winds (17 m/s, 34 kt, 39 mph, 63 km/h) extending 2220 km (1380 mi Mile A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile... ) from center |
October 12, 1979 | Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip Typhoon Tip was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone on record. The nineteenth tropical storm and twelfth typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the monsoon trough on October 4 near Pohnpei... in northwest Pacific Ocean |
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| Smallest tropical cyclone (winds from center) |
Gale winds (17 m/s, 34 kt, 39 mph, km/h) extending 16 km (10 mi) from center | October 7, 2008 | Tropical Storm Marco Tropical Storm Marco (2008) Tropical Storm Marco was the smallest known tropical cyclone on record. The thirteenth named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season, Marco developed out of a broad area of low pressure over the northwestern Caribbean during late September 2008. Influenced by a tropical wave on October 4,... in Bay of Campeche Bay of Campeche The Bay of Campeche is the southern bight of the Gulf of Mexico. It is surrounded on three sides by the Mexican states of Campeche, Tabasco and Veracruz. It was named by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba and Antonio de Alaminos during their expedition in 1517... |
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| Longest lasting tropical cyclone | 31 days | August 10 - September 10, 1994 | Hurricane/Typhoon John Hurricane John (1994) Hurricane John formed during the 1994 Pacific hurricane season and became both the longest-lasting and the farthest-traveling tropical cyclone ever observed... in northeast and northwest Pacific Basin |
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| Longest distance traveled by tropical cyclone | 13,000 km (8000 mi) | August 10 - September 10, 1994 | Hurricane/Typhoon John Hurricane John (1994) Hurricane John formed during the 1994 Pacific hurricane season and became both the longest-lasting and the farthest-traveling tropical cyclone ever observed... in northeast and northwest Pacific Basin |
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| Longest lasting category 5 winds | 5.50 days | September 9 - 14, 1961 | Typhoon Nancy Typhoon Nancy (1961) Super Typhoon Nancy was a powerful tropical cyclone of the 1961 Pacific typhoon season. The system with possibly the strongest winds ever measured in a tropical cyclone, Nancy caused extensive damage and at least 173 deaths and thousands of injuries in Japan and elsewhere in September 1961... in west Pacific Basin |
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| Warmest Eye | 30°C at 700 hPa | October 1973 | Typhoon Nora 1973 Pacific typhoon season The 1973 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December... in west Pacific Basin |
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| Costliest tropical cyclone | $81.2 billion (2005 USD) in damages | August 29, 2005 | Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall... in western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In... |
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| Deadliest tropical cyclone | c. 300,000+ fatalities | November 12, 1970 | 1970 Bhola cyclone 1970 Bhola cyclone The 1970 Bhola cyclone was a devastating tropical cyclone that struck East Pakistan and India's West Bengal on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern times... in Bay of Bengal Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the... |
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| Closest formation to the equator Equator An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass.... |
1.4° N Latitude In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a... |
December 26, 2001 | Tropical Storm Vamei Tropical Storm Vamei Tropical Storm Vamei was a Pacific tropical cyclone that formed closer to the equator than any other tropical cyclone worldwide... in the South China Sea South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around... |
See also
- List of weather records
- Tornado recordsTornado recordsThis article lists various tornado records. The most extreme tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State Tornado, which roared through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It was likely an F5, though tornadoes were not ranked on any scale in that era...
- Tornado records
- List of the most intense tropical cyclones
- List of tropical cyclones