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Tropical Cyclone, Hurricane, Typhoon
This project is for those who have died in or as a result of a Tropical Cyclone, Hurricane or Typhoon
Add Geni profiles for anyone who died in a Tropical Cyclone, Hurricane or Typhoon to one of the linked projects below.
Links to:
You might consider making a project for a specific location & date for one of these, if you have profiles for it. Then be sure to "relate" that project to this one, and also to the Natural Disasters portal. You may also want to create a related project for Survivors of that Tropical Cyclone.
One of the biggest sticking points when it comes to weather forecasts is the public's confusion over the terms "hurricane," "typhoon," and "cyclone." Aside from slightly different wind speeds, there is no difference between a hurricane, a typhoon, and a cyclone. They are all different names for the same kind of intense low-pressure storm system. All low-pressure systems are cyclones, which spin counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Tropical cyclones derive their energy from the intense thunderstorm activity that forms around the eye of the storm. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air that creates strong winds and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, generate high waves, damaging storm surges and tornadoes. The heavy rains, high waves and storm surge frequently result in major flooding.
The dividing line for whether a tropical cyclone is called a hurricane, typhoon, or simply a cyclone is based on latitude and longitude. A perfect example is Hurricane Genevieve. Hurricane Genevieve crossed the International Date Line (180°W) from American forecasting territory into Japanese forecasting territory. Once it crossed that line, it went from Hurricane Genevieve to Super Typhoon Genevieve simply because it crossed from one region into the other. Same storm, different name.
Once the tropical cyclone reaches winds of at least 17 m/s (34 kt, 39 mph) they are typically called a "tropical storm" or in Australia a Category 1 cyclone and are assigned a name. When the winds reach 33 m/s (64 kt, 74 mph), then they are called:
- "hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)
- "typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)
- "severe tropical cyclone" or "Category 3 cyclone" and above (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160°E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90°E)
- "very severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
- "tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)
Which tropical cyclones have caused the most deaths and most damage?
Contributed by Chris Landsea (NHC)
"The death toll in the infamous Bangladesh Cyclone of 1970 has had several estimates, some wildly speculative, but it seems certain that at least 300,000 people died from the associated storm tide [surge] in the low-lying deltas." (Holland 1993)
The largest damage caused by a tropical cyclone as estimated by monetary amounts has been Hurricane Katrina (2005) as it struck the Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama: US $40.6 Billion in insured losses, and an estimated $108 billion in total losses. This compares to $50 billion for Sandy (2012) and $37.5 billion for Ike (2008).
However, if one normalizes hurricane damage by inflation, wealth changes and coastal county population increases, then Katrina is only the third worst, after the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane and the lethal 1900 Galveston Hurricane. If the 1926 storm hit in 2005, it is estimated that it would cause over $140 billion in damages, and the 1900 storm about $92 billion (Pielke, Gratz, Landsea, Collins, Saunders, Musulin 2006).
Revised May 10, 2013
Deadliness of Tropical Cyclones, Hurricanes & Typhoons:
- Ten Deadliest Tropical Cyclones
- List of Deadliest Atlantic Hurricanes see for more major Hurricanes
- FAMOUS HURRICANES OF THE 20th AND 21st CENTURY IN THE UNITED STATES (31)
- 1) 1970 Bhola cyclone in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) on 13 Nov 1970 – 250,000- 500,000 deaths
- 2) 1839 India Cyclone in India on 25 Nov 1839 – 300,000 deaths
- 3) 1737 Calcutta Cyclone in India on 7 Oct 1737 – 300,000 deaths
- 4) Super Typhoon Nina – contributed to Banquiao Dam Failure on 7 Aug 1975 – 229,000 deaths
- 5) Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 in India (now Bangladesh) on 30 Oct 1876 – 200,000 deaths
- 6) 1881 Haiphong Typhoon in Vietnam on 8 Oct 1881 – 30,000 – 300,000 deaths
- 7) 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone in Bangladesh on 29 Apr 1991 – 138,866 deaths
- 8) Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar on 2 May 2008 – 138,366 deaths
- 9) 1882 Bombay cyclone in India on 1882 – 100,000 deaths
- 10) 1874 Bengal cyclone in India on Oct 1874 – 80,000 deaths
- 11) 1780 San Calixto Hurricane affected Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Bermuda on 9-20 Oct 1780 – 27,501+ deaths
- 12) Mitch affected Central America, Yucatan Peninsula, South Florid on 22 Oct-5 Nov 1998 – 11,000 deaths
- 13) Galveston affected the Caribbean & Texas on 27 Aug-15 Sep 1900 – 8,000 – 12,000 deaths
- 14) 1776 Pointe-a-Pitre Bay – 6.000 deaths
- 15) 1775 Newfoundland Hurricane in North Carolina, Virginia, Newfoundland on 29 Aug-9 Sep 1775 – 4,000 – 4,163 deaths
Some notables who died as a result of Hurricanes
- Notable Deaths from Hurricane Irene, Posted by: G. Reaper (). Date: August 30, 2011 12:16AM
- Hurricane Katrina Memorial Site (905)
Links for more info:
- Wikipedia - Tropical cyclone
- Wikipedia - Typhoon
- What is the Difference Between a Cyclone, Typhoon, and Hurricane?
- Hurricane Research Division - FAQ
- What have been the deadliest hurricanes for the USA?
- Wikipedia – List of Tropical Cyclone Records
- 35 Deadliest Tropical Cyclones in World History
- 31 Deadliest Atlantic Hurricanes / Tropical Cyclones (1492-2006)
- Tropical cyclone naming
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