Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/1
Typhoon Tip
was the largest and most intense
tropical cyclone
on record. The nineteenth tropical storm, twelfth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the
1979 Pacific typhoon season
, Tip developed out of a disturbance in the
monsoon
trough
on October 4, near
Pohnpei
. Initially, a tropical storm to its northwest hindered the development and motion of Tip, though after it tracked further north Tip was able to intensify. After passing
Guam
, it
rapidly intensified
and reached peak winds of 305 km/h (190 mph) and a worldwide record low pressure of 870
mbar
(hPa) on October 12. At its peak strength, it was also the largest tropical cyclone on record with a diameter of 2220 km (1380 mi). It slowly weakened as it continued west-northwestward, and later turned to the northeast under the influence of an approaching
trough
. Tip made
landfall
on southern Japan on October 19, and became an
extratropical cyclone
shortly thereafter.
Air Force Reconnaissance
flew into the typhoon for 60 missions, making Tip one of the most closely observed tropical cyclones of all time. Rainfall from the typhoon breached a flood-retaining wall at a
United States Marine Corps
training camp in the
Kanagawa Prefecture
of Japan, leading to a fire which injured 68 and killed 13 marines. Elsewhere in the country, it led to widespread flooding and 42 deaths. 44 were killed or left unaccounted for due to shipwrecks offshore.
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Hurricane Katrina
was the costliest (tied with
Hurricane Harvey
) and one of the deadliest
hurricanes
in the history of the
United States
. It was the eleventh named storm, fifth hurricane, third major hurricane, and second
Category 5 hurricane
of the
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
, and was the seventh-strongest
Atlantic hurricane
ever recorded.
Katrina formed over the
Bahamas
on August 23, 2005, and crossed southern
Florida
as a moderate
Category 1 hurricane
before strengthening rapidly in the
Gulf of Mexico
and becoming one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Gulf. The storm weakened considerably before making its second landfall as a Category 3 storm on the morning of
August 29
in southeast Louisiana.
It is possible that Katrina was the largest hurricane of its strength to approach the United States in recorded history; its sheer size caused devastation over 100 miles from the center. The storm surge caused major or catastrophic damage along the coastlines of
Louisiana
,
Mississippi
, and
Alabama
, including the cities of
Mobile, Alabama
,
Biloxi
and
Gulfport, Mississippi
, and
Slidell, Louisiana
.
Levees
separating
Lake Pontchartrain
from
New Orleans, Louisiana
were breached by the surge, ultimately flooding roughly 80% of the city and many areas of neighboring
parishes
. Severe wind damage was reported well inland. Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $125 billion (2005
US dollars
) in damages, making it the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. The storm killed at least 1,836 people, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the
1928 Okeechobee Hurricane
.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/3
In
meteorology
, a
tropical cyclone
is a storm system with a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms, and a closed circulation around a center of
low pressure
, fueled by the heat released when moist air rises and condenses. The name underscores their origin in the
tropics
and their
cyclonic
nature. They are distinguished from other cyclonic storms such as
nor'easters
and
polar lows
by the heat mechanism that fuels them, which makes them "warm core" storm systems.
Depending on their strength and location, there are various terms by which tropical cyclones can be described, such as
tropical depression
,
tropical storm
,
hurricane
, and
typhoon
.
Tropical cyclones can produce extremely high winds, tornadoes, torrential rain (leading to mudslides and flash floods), and drive
storm surge
onto coastal areas. Though the effects on populations and ships can be catastrophic, tropical cyclones have been known to relieve drought conditions. They also carry heat away from the tropics, an important mechanism of the global
atmospheric circulation
that maintains equilibrium in the environment.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/4
A
storm surge
is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically a
tropical cyclone
. Storm surge is caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary
sea level
. Low pressure at the center of a weather system also has a small secondary effect, as can the
bathymetry
of the body of water. It is this combined effect of low pressure and persistent wind over a shallow water body which is the most common cause of storm surge flooding problems. The term "storm surge" in casual (non-scientific) use is
storm tide
; that is, it refers to the rise of water associated with the storm, plus tide, wave run-up, and freshwater flooding. When referencing storm surge height, it is important to clarify the usage, as well as the reference point. NHC tropical storm reports reference storm surge as water height above predicted astronomical tide level, and storm tide as water height above
NGVD-29
.
In areas where there is a significant difference between low tide and high tide, storm surges are particularly damaging when they occur at the time of a
high tide
. In these cases, this increases the difficulty of predicting the magnitude of a storm surge since it requires weather forecasts to be accurate to within a few hours. Storm surges can be produced by non-tropical storms, such as the
"Halloween Storm" of 1991
and the
Storm of the Century (1993)
, but the most extreme storm surge events occur as a result of extreme weather systems, such as tropical cyclones. Factors that determine the surge heights for landfalling tropical cyclones include the speed, intensity, size of the radius of maximum winds (RMW), radius of the wind fields, angle of the track relative to the coastline, the physical characteristics of the coastline and the bathymetry of the water offshore. The SLOSH (Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes) model is used to simulate surge from tropical cyclones.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/5
Tropical Storm Barry
was a strong
tropical storm
that made landfall on the
Florida
Panhandle
during August 2001. The third tropical cyclone and second named storm of the
2001 Atlantic hurricane season
, Barry developed from a
tropical wave
that moved off the coast of Africa on July 24 and tracked westward. The wave entered the Caribbean on July 29 and spawned a
low-pressure area
that organized into Tropical Storm Barry on August 3. After fluctuations in intensity and track, the system attained peak winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) in the
Gulf of Mexico
, and headed northward before moving ashore on the Gulf Coast.
Unlike the devastating
Tropical Storm Allison
earlier in the season, Barry's effects were moderate. Nine deaths occurred, six in
Cuba
and three in
Florida
. As a tropical cyclone, rainfall peaked at 8.9 in (230 mm) at
Tallahassee
, and winds gusts topped out at 79 mph (127 km/h). The wave that would become Barry dropped large amounts of rain across southern Florida, which led to significant flooding and structural damage. Moderate flooding occurred throughout the Panhandle, where damage was also reported as a result of high wind gusts. As the storm's remnants tracked inland, parts of the
Mississippi Valley
received light precipitation. Barry is estimated to have caused $30 million (2001 USD, $36.5 million 2008 USD) in damage.
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Hurricane Isabel
was the costliest and deadliest
hurricane
in the
2003 Atlantic hurricane season
. The ninth tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed from a
tropical wave
on
September 6
in the tropical
Atlantic Ocean
. Isabel moved northwestward, and within an environment of light wind shear and warm waters, it steadily strengthened to reach peak winds of 165 mph (265 km/h) on
September 11
, and acquired
annular characteristics
around this time. After fluctuating in intensity for four days, Isabel gradually weakened and made landfall on the
Outer Banks
of
North Carolina
with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) on
September 18
. It quickly weakened over land and became
extratropical
over western
Pennsylvania
on the next day, before being absorbed into another system on
September 20
.
In
North Carolina
, the storm surge from Isabel washed out a portion of
Hatteras Island
to form what was unofficially known as
Isabel Inlet
. Damage was greatest along the
Outer Banks
, where thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. The worst of the effects of Isabel occurred in the state of
Virginia
, which reported the most deaths and damage from the hurricane. About 64% of the damage and 68% of the deaths occurred in the two states alone.
Moderate to severe damage extended up the
Atlantic Coastline
and as far inland as
West Virginia
. Roughly 6 million were left without power in the eastern United States from the strong winds of Isabel. Rainfall from the storm extended from
South Carolina
to
Maine
, and westward to
Michigan
. Throughout the path of Isabel, damage totaled about $3.6 billion (2003 USD, $4.87 billion 2018 USD). 16 deaths in seven states were directly related to the hurricane, with 35 deaths in six states and one province indirectly related to the hurricane.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/7
Hurricane Fabian
was a powerful
Cape Verde-type hurricane
that hit
Bermuda
in early September during the
2003 Atlantic hurricane season
. Fabian, the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and first
major hurricane
of the season, developed from a
tropical wave
in the tropical Atlantic Ocean on
August 25
. It moved west-northwestward under the influence of the
subtropical ridge
to its north, and steadily strengthened in an area of warm
water temperatures
and light
wind shear
. The hurricane attained a peak intensity of 145 mph (230 km/h) on September 1, and it slowly weakened as it turned northward. On September 5, Fabian made a direct hit on the island of
Bermuda
with wind speeds of over 120 mph (195 km/h). After passing the island, the hurricane turned to the northeast, and became
extratropical
on
September 8
.
Fabian was the strongest hurricane to hit Bermuda since
Hurricane Arlene
in 1963. It was both the most damaging and the first hurricane to cause a death on the island since 1926. The hurricane's powerful winds resulted in moderate damage and destroyed roofs throughout the island. A strong storm surge associated with the hurricane killed four people crossing
a causeway
on Bermuda, temporarily closing the only link between two islands. The endangered
Bermuda Petrel
was threatened by the hurricane, which destroyed ten nests, although volunteer work transported the species to a safer location. Strong swells resulted in damage in northern
Puerto Rico
and the
Dominican Republic
, and also caused four people to drown along the
United States
'
Atlantic coast
. In all, Fabian caused around $300 million (2003 USD) in damage and eight deaths.
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Hurricane Mitch
was one of the most powerful
Atlantic hurricanes
ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the
1998 Atlantic hurricane season
. At the time, Mitch was the strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean in the month of October, though it has since been surpassed by
Hurricane Wilma
of the
2005 season
. Mitch formed in the western
Caribbean Sea
, eventually reaching Category 5 status on the
Saffir?Simpson Hurricane Scale
(SSHS). It remained nearly stationary over water for several days before eventually weakening, striking
Honduras
as a minimal hurricane.
Though Mitch weakened before striking land, it drifted just off the coast of
Central America
from
October 29
to
November 3
, dropping historic amounts of rainfall, with unofficial reports of up to 75 inches (1,900 mm). Deaths due to catastrophic flooding made it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history; nearly 11,000 people were killed with over 8,000 left missing by the end of 1998. The flooding caused extreme damage, amounting to around $7 billion (2005 USD), though exact totals will likely never be known.
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Hurricane Georges
was the seventh tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the
1998 Atlantic hurricane season
. The
tropical cyclone
made seven landfalls on its long track through the
Caribbean Sea
and
Gulf of Mexico
during September, becoming the second most destructive storm of the season. Georges killed 603 people, mainly on the island of
Hispaniola
, and caused nearly $6 billion (1998
US dollars
) in damages, mostly in
Puerto Rico
and Hispaniola. The hurricane affected at least six different countries (
Antigua
,
St. Kitts and Nevis
,
Haiti
,
Dominican Republic
,
Cuba
,
United States
) ? more than any other hurricane in years, and more than any other hurricane since until
Hurricane Wilma
in the
2005 season
affected ten different countries.
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The
1933 Atlantic hurricane season
is the second most active Atlantic hurricane season on record, with 21 storms forming during that year. The season, which began on June 1, 1933 and lasted until November 30, 1933, is surpassed only by the
2005 season
, which broke the record with its 28 storms. The 1933 season saw tropical activity before its start, and a tropical cyclone was active for all but 13 days from
June 28
to
October 7
. 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. Because technologies such as
satellite monitoring
were not available until the
1960s
, historical data on tropical cyclones from this period are often not reliable.
Ten of the season's 21 storms attained
hurricane
status. Five of those were major hurricanes, with sustained winds of over 111 mph (179 km/h); the strongest reached peak winds of 150 mph (240 km/h) near the
Bahamas
in early October. The season produced several deadly storms, with eight storms killing more than 20 people. All but one of the 21 known storms affected land at some point during their lifetimes.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/11
The
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, shattering previous records on repeated occasions. The impact of the season was widespread and ruinous with at least 2,048 deaths and record damages of over $100 billion
USD
, with the damage surpassed only by the
2017 season
. The season's five
landfalling
major hurricanes
—
Dennis
,
Emily
,
Katrina
,
Rita
, and
Wilma
—were responsible for most of the destruction. The Mexican state of
Quintana Roo
and the U.S. states of
Florida
and
Louisiana
were each struck twice by major hurricanes;
Cuba
,
Mississippi
,
Texas
, and
Tamaulipas
were each struck once and in each case brushed by at least one more. The most catastrophic effects of the season were felt on the United States'
Gulf Coast
, where a 30-foot
storm surge
from Hurricane Katrina caused devastating flooding that inundated
New Orleans
and destroyed most structures on the
Mississippi
coastline, and in
Guatemala
, where
Hurricane Stan
combined with an extratropical system to cause extremely deadly mudslides.
The season officially began on June 1, 2005, and lasted until November 30, 2005, although effectively the season persisted into January 2006 due to continued storm activity. A record twenty-eight tropical and subtropical storms formed, of which a record fifteen became hurricanes. Of these, seven strengthened into major hurricanes, a record-tying five became Category 4 hurricanes and a record four reached Category 5 strength, the highest categorization for hurricanes on the
Saffir?Simpson hurricane scale
. Among these Category 5 storms was
Hurricane Wilma
, the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic.
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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.
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The
1970 Bhola cyclone
was a devastating
tropical cyclone
that struck
East Pakistan
(now
Bangladesh
) on November 12, 1970. It was the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, and one of the deadliest
natural disasters
of modern times. At least 500,000 people lost their lives in the storm, mostly as a result of the
storm surge
that flooded many of the low-lying islands of the
Ganges Delta
. This cyclone was the sixth cyclonic storm of the
1970 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
and was also the most powerful, reaching a strength equivalent to a
Category 4 hurricane
.
The cyclone formed over the central
Bay of Bengal
on
November 8
and moved north, intensifying as it did so. It reached its peak with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) on
November 12
and made landfall on the East Pakistan coast that night. The storm surge devastated many of the offshore islands, wiping out villages and destroying crops throughout the region. In the most severely affected Thana,
Tazumuddin
, over 45% of the population of 167,000 was killed by the storm.
The
Pakistani
government was severely criticised for its handling of the relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and in the international media. The opposition
Awami League
gained a
landslide victory
in the province and continuing unrest between East Pakistan and the central government trigged the
Bangladesh Liberation War
, which concluded with the creation of the state of Bangladesh.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/14
Hurricane Pauline
was one of the strongest and deadliest
Pacific hurricanes
to make
landfall
on Mexico. The 16th tropical storm, 8th hurricane, and 7th major hurricane of the
1997 Pacific hurricane season
, Pauline developed out of a
tropical wave
on October 5 about 250 miles (410 km) south-southwest of
Huatulco
in the state of
Oaxaca
. It initially moved eastward, then turned northwestward and quickly strengthened to reach peak winds of 135 mph. It paralleled the Mexican coastline a short distance offshore before weakening and hitting
Puerto Escondido
on October 9, and dissipated the next day.
Pauline produced torrential rainfall along the Mexican coastline, peaking at 16 inches in
Acapulco
. Intense flooding and mudslides in some of the poorest areas of Mexico killed between 230 to 400 people, making it one of the deadliest Eastern Pacific storms in recorded history. The passage of the hurricane destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of houses, leaving around 300,000 homeless and causing $7.5 billion in damage (1997 USD, 80 million 1997
MXN
pesos, $9.3 billion (2006 USD).
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/15
Cyclone Tracy
was a
tropical cyclone
that devastated
Darwin
,
Australia
, from December 24 to December 25, 1974. It was recorded by
The Age
as being a "disaster of the first magnitude...without parallel in
Australia's history
." It killed 71 people - the official death toll was revised upwards from 65 to 71 in March 2005 - and destroyed over 70 percent of Darwin's buildings, leaving over 20,000 people homeless. Most of Darwin's population was evacuated to
Adelaide
,
Whyalla
,
Alice Springs
and
Sydney
, and many never returned to Darwin. The town was subsequently rebuilt with modern materials and techniques. Cyclone Tracy was at least a
Category 4 storm
, although there is evidence to suggest that it had reached Category 5 intensity when it made landfall at Darwin.
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Hurricane Gloria
was a
hurricane
during the
1985 Atlantic hurricane season
that prowled the
Atlantic Ocean
from September 16 to September 28, 1985. A
Cape Verde-type hurricane
, it reached
Category 4
intensity on the
Saffir?Simpson Hurricane Scale
, but weakened significantly by the time it made landfall on
North Carolina
and on
Long Island
. Gloria caused extensive damage in the
East Coast of the United States
, amounting to $1.6 billion (2005 USD), and was responsible for 11 fatalities.
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Hurricane Gilbert
was an extremely powerful
Cape Verde hurricane
that formed during the
1988 Atlantic hurricane season
and wrought widespread destruction in the
Caribbean Sea
and the
Gulf of Mexico
. It is the second most intense
hurricane
ever observed in the Atlantic basin behind only
Hurricane Wilma
of the extremely active
2005 Atlantic hurricane season
. Gilbert was also one of the largest tropical cyclones ever observed in the Atlantic basin. At one point, its tropical storm-force winds measured 588 mi (946 km) in diameter. In addition, Gilbert was the most intense tropical cyclone in recorded history to strike Mexico.
The seventh
named storm
and third hurricane of the 1988
Atlantic hurricane season
, Gilbert developed from a
tropical wave
on September 8 while located 400 mi (640 km) east of
Barbados
. Following intensification into a tropical storm the next day, Gilbert steadily strengthened as it tracked west-northwestward into the Caribbean Sea. On September 10, Gilbert attained hurricane intensity, and
rapidly intensified
into a Category 3 hurricane on September 11. After striking
Jamaica
the following day, rapid intensification occurred once again, and the storm became a Category 5 hurricane on the
Saffir?Simpson hurricane scale
late on September 13. Gilbert weakened slightly, and made landfall on the
Yucatan Peninsula
later that day while maintaining Category 5 intensity. After landfall, Gilbert weakened rapidly over the Yucatan Peninsula, and emerged into the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 on September 15. Gradual intensification occurred as Gilbert tracked across the Gulf of Mexico, and the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in mainland Mexico on September 16. The hurricane gradually weakened after landfall, and eventually dissipated on September 19 over the Midwestern United States. Gilbert inflicted $7.1 billion in damage.
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Hurricane Floyd
was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the
1999 Atlantic hurricane season
. A
Cape Verde-type hurricane
, it struck the
Bahamas
and paralleled the coastline of the
Eastern United States
, making landfall in North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane. The hurricane produced torrential rainfall in the state, adding more rain to an area hit by
Hurricane Dennis
just weeks earlier. Floyd was responsible for 57 fatalities and $5.13 billion in damage (2005
USD
).
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Typhoon Ketsana
, known in the Philippines as
Tropical Storm Ondoy
, was the second most devastating tropical cyclone in the
2009 Pacific typhoon season
with a damage of
$
1.09 billion and 747 fatalities, only behind
Morakot
earlier in the season, which caused 789 deaths and damages worth
$
6.2 billion. The storm was the sixteenth tropical storm, eighth typhoon and the second major typhoon in the season. It was the most devastating typhoon to hit
Manila
,
[1]
surpassing
Typhoon Patsy (Yoling)
in
1970
.
Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/20
The
meteorological history of Hurricane Wilma
, the most intense known
tropical cyclone
in the Western Hemisphere at the time, began in the second week of October 2005. A large area of disturbed weather developed across much of the Caribbean and gradually organized to the southeast of
Jamaica
. By late on October 15, the system was sufficiently organized for the
National Hurricane Center
to designate it as
Tropical Depression
Twenty-Four.
The depression drifted southwestward, and under favorable conditions, it
strengthened
into
Tropical Storm
Wilma on October 17. Initially, development was slow due to its large size, though
convection
steadily organized. From October 18, and through the following day, Wilma underwent
explosive deepening
over the open waters of the Caribbean; in a 30-hour period, the system's central
atmospheric pressure
dropped from 982
mbar
(29.00
inHg
) to the record-low value of 882 mbar (26.05 inHg), while the winds increased to 185 mph (300 km/h). At its peak intensity, the
pinhole eye
of Wilma was about 3 miles (5 km) in diameter, the smallest known eye in an
Atlantic hurricane
. After the inner eye dissipated due to an
eyewall replacement cycle
, Wilma weakened to
Category 4 status
, and on October 21, it made
landfall
on
Cozumel
and on the Mexican mainland with winds of about 150 mph (240 km/h).
Wilma weakened over the
Yucatan Peninsula
, and reached the southern
Gulf of Mexico
before accelerating northeastward. Despite increasing amounts of
wind shear
, the hurricane re-strengthened to hit
Cape Romano
,
Florida
as a major hurricane. Wilma weakened as it quickly crossed the state, and entered the Atlantic Ocean near
Jupiter, Florida
. The hurricane again re-intensified before cold air and wind shear penetrated the inner core of convection. On October 26, it transitioned into an
extratropical cyclone
, and the next day, the remnants of Wilma were absorbed by another extratropical storm over
Atlantic Canada
.
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Hurricane Ivan
was the ninth named storm, the sixth
hurricane
, the fourth major hurricane, and the strongest hurricane of the
2004 Atlantic hurricane season
. It formed as a
Cape Verde-type hurricane
in early September. Ivan reached Category 5 strength on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
, the highest possible category, becoming the ninth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the only Category 5 storm of the season.
Ivan caused catastrophic damage to
Grenada
, which it struck directly at Category 3 intensity, and heavy damage to
Jamaica
,
Grand Cayman
, and the western tip of
Cuba
. After peaking in strength, it tracked north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to make landfall as a strong Category 3 storm in the
U.S.
near
Gulf Shores, Alabama
, causing very heavy damage. Ivan dropped heavy rains on the
Southeastern United States
as it looped across
Florida
and back into the
Gulf of Mexico
. The remnant low from the storm regenerated into a new tropical system, which moved into
Louisiana
and
Texas
, causing minimal damage. Ivan caused an estimated $20.5 billion (2004 USD) worth of damage in the United States, making it the second-costliest hurricane to strike the U.S. at the time (currently the tenth-costliest U.S. hurricane).
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Hurricane Mitch
was one of the most powerful
Atlantic hurricanes
ever observed, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h). The storm was the thirteenth tropical storm, ninth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the
1998 Atlantic hurricane season
. At the time, Mitch was the strongest hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean in the month of October, though it has since been surpassed by
Hurricane Wilma
of the
2005 season
. Mitch formed in the western
Caribbean Sea
, eventually reaching Category 5 status on the
Saffir?Simpson Hurricane Scale
(SSHS). It remained nearly stationary over water for several days before eventually weakening, striking
Honduras
as a minimal hurricane.
Though Mitch weakened before striking land, it drifted just off the coast of
Central America
from
October 29
to
November 3
, dropping historic amounts of rainfall, with unofficial reports of up to 75 inches (1,900 mm). Deaths due to catastrophic flooding made it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in history; nearly 11,000 people were killed with over 8,000 left missing by the end of 1998. The flooding caused extreme damage, amounting to around $7 billion (2005 USD), though exact totals will likely never be known.
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Portal:Tropical cyclones/Selected article/23
Typhoon Paka
(international designation:
9728
, JTWC designation:
05C
,
PAGASA
designation:
Rubing
, also known as
Super Typhoon Paka
) was the last
tropical cyclone
in the
1997 Pacific hurricane
and
typhoon
season, and was among the strongest Pacific typhoons in the month of December. Paka, which is the
Hawaiian
name for Pat, developed on
November 28
in the central Pacific Ocean from a
trough
near the
equator
well to the southwest of
Hawaii
. After initially tracking northward, the storm turned to the west due to a strong
high pressure area
to its north, and on
December 7
it crossed into the western Pacific Ocean. The cyclone intensified into a typhoon as it crossed the
Marshall Islands
on
December 10
, and continuing to intensify Paka struck
Guam
and
Rota
on
December 16
with winds of 230 km/h (145 mph). The typhoon strengthened further and reached its peak intensity by
December 18
over open waters. Subsequently it underwent a steady weakening trend, and on
December 23
Paka dissipated.
Typhoon Paka first impacted the
Marshall Islands
, where it dropped heavy rainfall and resulted in $80 million in damage (1997 USD, $100 million 2007 USD). Later, it passed just north of Guam, where strong winds destroyed about 1,500 buildings and damaged 10,000 more; 5,000 people were left homeless, and the island experienced a complete power outage following the typhoon. Damage on the island totaled $500 million (1997 USD, $645 million 2007 USD), which warranted the
retirement of its name
. Paka also caused light damage in the
Northern Marianas Islands
. The typhoon resulted in no fatalities.
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Tropical Storm Allison
was a
tropical storm
that devastated southeast
Texas
in June of the
2001 Atlantic hurricane season
. The first storm of the season, Allison had an unusually long path for a June storm, which extended from Texas to the
Mid-Atlantic states
. Allison was also the first storm since
Tropical Storm Frances
in 1998 to strike the upper Texas coastline.
The storm dropped heavy rainfall along its path, peaking at over 40 inches (1000 mm) in Texas. The worst of the flooding occurred in
Houston
, where nearly $5 billion (2001 USD) in damage occurred. There, 30,000 became homeless after the flooding destroyed 2,744 homes. 23 people died in Texas.
Throughout its entire path, Allison caused $5.5 billion (2001 USD) in damage and 41 deaths. Aside from Texas, the places worst hit were
Louisiana
and southeastern
Pennsylvania
. Allison is the only tropical storm to have its name retired without ever reaching hurricane strength.
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The
Saffir?Simpson Hurricane Scale
(SSHS)
is a scale classifying most
Western Hemisphere
tropical cyclones
that exceed the levels of "tropical depression" and "tropical storm" and thereby become hurricanes. The "categories" it divides hurricanes into are distinguished by the intensities of their respective 1-minute sustained
wind
speeds. The classifications are intended primarily for use in gauging the likely damage and
storm surge
flooding
a hurricane will cause upon landfall. The Saffir?Simpson Hurricane Scale is used
only
to describe hurricanes that form in the
Atlantic Ocean
and northern
Pacific Ocean
east of the
International Date Line
. Other areas label their tropical cyclones as "cyclones" or "typhoons", and use their own
classification systems
.
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