Portal:Tropical cyclones
Tropical Cyclones Portal
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and 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. 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, and 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 can 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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The Great Hurricane of 1780, also known as the Hurricane San Calixto II, is the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Over 22,000 people people died when the storm passed through the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean between October 10 and October 16. The beginning of the official Atlantic hurricane database is in 1851; thus, specifics on its track and strength are unknown.
The hurricane struck Barbados with winds possibly exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h), before moving past Martinique, Saint Lucia, and Sint Eustatius; thousands of deaths were reported on each island. Coming in the midst of the American Revolution, the storm caused heavy losses to British and French fleets contesting for control of the area. The hurricane later passed near Puerto Rico and over the eastern portion of the Dominican Republic, causing heavy damage near the coastlines and ultimately turned to the northeast before being last observed on October 20 southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland.
The death toll from the Great Hurricane alone exceeds that for any other entire decade of Atlantic hurricanes, and is substantially higher than that of the second-deadliest Atlantic storm, Hurricane Mitch. The hurricane was part of the disastrous 1780 Atlantic hurricane season, with three other deadly storms occurring in the month of October.
Recently featured: 1970 Bhola cyclone — Hurricane Fico — Hurricane Bob (1985) — Typhoon Ewiniar (2006) — 1998 Pacific typhoon season — List of named tropical cyclones — Hurricane Vince — Browse
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The MODIS instrument onboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Gafilo churning in the waters northwest of Madagascar on March 6, 2004. At the time this image was taken, Gafilo has sustained winds of approximately 160 mph. Cyclone warnings had been posted for all of northwestern Madagascar.
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WikiProject Tropical cyclones is the central point of coordination for Wikipedia's coverage of tropical cyclones. Feel free to help!
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Did you know…
- … that Hurricane Faith (pictured) was tracked until it was located 600 miles (965 km) from the North Pole?
- …that from the formation of the low that would become Cyclone Katrina and the dissipation of it as Cyclone Victor–Cindy passed 51 days? (track pictured)
- …that since 2011 the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center has assigned names to tropical and subtropical systems in the South Atlantic, when they have sustained wind speeds of at least 65 km/h (40 mph)?
- …that, although being the second most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the South-West Indian Ocean basin in terms of atmospheric pressure, Cyclone Chris-Damia (pictured) never attained the highest categories in either Météo-France or Saffir–Simpson wind scales?
Tropical cyclone anniversaries
- February 12, 2003 - Four tropical cyclones (pictured) were simultaneously active in the central Indian Ocean. The storms, from left to right, were: Cyclone Gerry, Cyclone Hape, the precursor to Tropical Storm Isha and Cyclone Fiona.
February 13,
- 1998 - Cyclone Victor reaches peak intensity over in the Western Region of 10-minute sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) and a pressure of 970 mbar.
- 2006 - Cyclone Vaianu (pictured) reached its peak intensity with a central pressure of 965 hPa (mbar). Vaianu caused flooding in Tonga.
February 14,
- 1981 - Cyclone Cliff hit Queensland, Australia after affecting several Pacific islands. One person died in Australia.
- 2012 - Cyclone Giovanna (pictured) makes landfall over in Madagascar and kills a total of 35.
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