Portal:Tropical cyclones

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The Tropical Cyclones Portal

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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.

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Numa over the Ionian Sea on 18 November, after peak intensity

Cyclone Numa, also known as Medicane Numa, was a Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone with the properties of a subtropical cyclone. Numa formed on 11 November 2017 west of the British Isles, out of the extratropical remnants of Tropical Storm Rina, the seventeenth named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Subsequently, on 17 November, Numa acquired subtropical characteristics before reaching peak intensity on 18 November, becoming a rare "medicane". After making landfall in Greece on 18 November, Numa rapidly weakened, and was later absorbed into another extratropical storm on 20 November. The flooding triggered by Numa became the worst weather event Greece had experienced since 1977, and the storm caused an estimated $100 million (2017 USD) in damages in Europe.

The National Observatory of Athens named the system Zenon. (Full article...)

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House damage from the hurricane in Sea Bright, New Jersey

The 1903 New Jersey hurricane, also known as the Vagabond Hurricane by The Press of Atlantic City, is the first and only known North Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the state of New Jersey since records were kept starting in 1851. The fourth hurricane of the season, the cyclone was first observed on September 12 about 550 miles (890 kilometres) northeast of Antigua. It moved quickly westward, then later turned to the north-northwest, steadily strengthening to reach a peak intensity of 100 miles per hour (155 kilometres per hour), a Category 2 on the modern-day Saffir–Simpson scale. The hurricane weakened slightly before striking near Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 16 with winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). It weakened over Pennsylvania and became an extratropical cyclone over western New York on September 17.

Rough surf and moderate winds from the hurricane capsized several ships along the East Coast of the United States; 30 people were left missing and presumed killed from a shipwreck in Chincoteague, Virginia. Along the coast, 57 people died due to the storm. In New Jersey, the hurricane caused heavy damage, particularly near the coast and in Atlantic City. Dozens of buildings were damaged or destroyed, and damage across the state totaled $8 million (1903 USD). In New York City, high winds disrupted traffic, closed businesses, and overturned wagons, with many windows and roofs damaged. On Long Island, President Theodore Roosevelt directly experienced the effects of the hurricane while on a yacht. The life of the president was briefly threatened by the rough conditions, though none on board the yacht suffered any problems from the hurricane. (Full article...)

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The emblem of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters. The squadron is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." It flies into tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Central Pacific Ocean for the specific purpose of directly measuring weather data in and around those storms.

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The 1933 Atlantic hurricane season is the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record in terms of accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), with a total of 259. It also set a record for nameable tropical storms in a single season, 20, which stood until 2005, when there were 28 storms. The season ran for six months of 1933, with tropical cyclone development occurring as early as May and as late as November. A system was active for all but 13 days from June 28 to October 7.

Because technologies such as Earth observation satellites were not available until the 1960s, historical data on tropical cyclones from the early 20th century is often incomplete. Tropical cyclones that did not approach populated areas or shipping lanes, especially if they were relatively weak and of short duration, may have remained undetected. Compensating for the lack of comprehensive observation and the limited technological ability to monitor all tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin during this era, research meteorologist Christopher Landsea estimates that the 1933 season may have produced an additional 2–3 missed tropical cyclones. A 2013 reanalysis of the 1933 Atlantic Hurricane Database did indeed identify two new tropical storms; however, it was also determined that two existing cyclones did not reach tropical storm intensity and so were removed from the database. Additionally, researchers found two existing storms to be one continuous system. As a result, the season storm total dropped from 21 to 20. (Full article...)

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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): No active systems

South Pacific (2023–24): No active systems

South Atlantic (2023–24): No active systems

Last updated: 21:50, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

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Tropical cyclone anniversaries

June 6

1994 - Tropical Storm Russ moved across Hainan Island and southern China, killing 72 people and leaving US$727.5&bsp;million in damage.
1999 - Typhoon Maggie made landfall in China, and along its path the storm killed nine people.
2012 - Tropical Storm Kuena (pictured) became a rare June tropical storm in the South-West Indian Ocean.

June 7,

1973 - Hurricane Ava reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane, becoming the only Pacific hurricane to attain that intensity in the month of June.
2003 - Cyclone Gina (pictured) reaches its peak intensity as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone after affecting the Solomon Islands with only minimal damages.

June 8

1960 - Typhoon Mary struck Hong Kong, killing 1,649 people across southeastern China.
1966 - Hurricane Alma made landfall in western Cuba causing severe flooding. The storm killed a total of 90 people and caused over $200 million of damage.

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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

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

Image 1Personnel and equipment from the National Guard of the United States en route to Hurricane Florence response efforts in 2018
Image 2Percentages of hurricane deaths in the United States from 1970 to 1999. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 3Hurricane response involves working in hazardous conditions, including contamination and electrocution hazards from floodwater.
Image 4An example of a chart for Matthew showing its five-day forecast track (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 5Broken 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 6The 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 7
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 8Hurricane Isabel (2003)'s effect on the North Carolina Outer Banks (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 9
Australian region cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 10A 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 11Aerial image of destroyed houses in Tacloban, following Typhoon Haiyan (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 12An extratropical cyclone near Iceland (from Cyclone)
Image 13
Pacific typhoon
(from Cyclone)
Image 14Radar image of Hurricane Erika making landfall over Northeastern Mexico (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 15Comparison between extratropical and tropical cyclones on surface analysis (from Cyclone)
Image 16A polar low over the Sea of Japan in December 2009 (from Cyclone)
Image 17The 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 18
South Pacific cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 19Tropical 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 20The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 21
North Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 22Chart with concurrent information for Hurricane Arlene and Tropical Storm Bret logged and plotted (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 23The 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 24Subtropical Storm Alex in the north Atlantic Ocean in January 2016 (from Cyclone)
Image 252017 Atlantic hurricane season summary map (from Cyclone)
Image 26Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (from Cyclone)
Image 27Surface weather map of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane moving up the west coast of Florida (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 28All 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 29The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 30
Pacific hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 31Hurricane Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 (from Cyclone)
Image 32
Atlantic hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 33Flooding 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)

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

Category 4, the second-highest classification on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, is used for tropical cyclones that have winds of 130–156 mph (209–251 km/h; 113–136 kn). The division of the eastern and central Pacific basins occurs at 140° W; the eastern Pacific covers area east of 140° W, while the central Pacific extends between 140° W to 180° W. Both basins' division points are at 66° N as a northern point and the equator as the southern point. , 141 hurricanes have attained Category 4 status in the northeastern Pacific basins. This list does not include storms that also attained Category 5 status on the scale.

Numerous climatological factors influence the formation of hurricanes in the Pacific basins. The North Pacific High and Aleutian Low, usually present between January and April, cause strong wind shear and unfavorable conditions for the development of hurricanes. During its presence, El Niño results in increased numbers of powerful hurricanes through weaker wind shear, while La Niña reduces the number of such hurricanes through the opposite. Global warming may also influence the formation of tropical cyclones in the Pacific basin. During a thirty-year period with two sub-periods, the first between 1975 and 1989 and the second between 1990 and 2004, an increase of thirteen Category 4 or 5 storms was observed from the first sub-period.

(Full article...)

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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.

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