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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Greg at peak intensity near the island of Borneo on December 25

Tropical Depression Greg was a Pacific tropical cyclone that formed at an unusually low latitude in the South China Sea, and became the worst tropical cyclone to affect Malaysia since reliable records began. The last storm of the 1996 Pacific typhoon season, Greg formed on December 24 on the same two monsoon troughs that also spawned Tropical Storm Fern in the basin and cyclones Ophelia, Phil and Fergus in the Southern Hemisphere. The storm headed an east-southeastward track and despite an unfavorable environment for intensification, Greg strengthened to a tropical storm on Christmas Day. It then reached its peak intensity shortly, with maximum sustained winds of 85 km/h (55 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 1002 hPa before making landfall along the northern portion of the Malaysian state of Sabah between 1700 and 1800 UTC (3:00 - 4:00 am MYT) on December 26. After crossing the state, it weakened to a tropical depression before passing through Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines on the next day. Wind shear further degraded the system until it dissipated on December 27 on the Celebes Sea, south of Mindanao.

Greg was one of only two systems to made landfall in Malaysia, before Vamei in 2001 did so, nearly five years later. The storm brought extensive and catastrophic damages across Sabah, causing over $280 million in damage (1996 USD) and 238 deaths, which mainly are foreigners and tourists. Another 102 individuals were also rendered missing. Flash floods and widespread mudslides were also recorded throughout the state, destroying houses and overflowing rivers, respectively. (Full article...)

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Surface weather analysis of the hurricane on September 3 near the Bahamas

The 1933 Treasure Coast hurricane was the second-most intense tropical cyclone to strike the United States during the active 1933 Atlantic hurricane season. The eleventh tropical storm, fifth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the season, it formed east-northeast of the Leeward Islands on August 31. The tropical storm moved rapidly west-northwestward, steadily intensifying to a hurricane. It acquired peak winds of 140 mph (220 km/h) and passed over portions of the Bahamas on September 3, including Eleuthera and Harbour Island, causing severe damage to crops, buildings, and infrastructure. Winds over 100 mph (160 km/h) affected many islands in its path, especially those that encountered its center, and many wharves were ruined.

Subsequently, it weakened and made landfall at Jupiter, Florida, early on September 4 with winds of 125 mph (205 km/h). The hurricane moved across the state, passing near Tampa before moving into Georgia and dissipating. In Florida, the strong winds of the cyclone blew buildings off their foundations, and numerous trees were prostrated in citrus groves. The Treasure Coast region received the most extensive destruction, and Stuart, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce were heavily damaged. The storm was locally regarded as the most severe on record in 50 years. Inland, the cyclone weakened rapidly but produced prodigious amounts of rain, causing a dam to collapse near Tampa. The storm caused $3 million in damage (1933 USD) after damaging or destroying 6,848 homes. (Full article...)

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Rainfall total map of Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001. The rainfall caused severe flooding along its path, particularly near Dallas, resulting in over $6 billion in damage. Map provided by David Roth, Hydrometeorological Prediction Center.

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The 2018–19 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season was the costliest at the time until it was surpassed by 2024-25 but it was the most active season ever recorded. Additionally, it is also the deadliest cyclone season recorded in the South-West Indian Ocean, surpassing the 1891–92 season in which the 1892 Mauritius cyclone devastated the island of Mauritius, and is mainly due to Cyclone Idai. The season was an event of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone and subtropical cyclone formation in the South-West Indian Ocean basin. It officially began on 15 November 2018, and ended on 30 April 2019, except for Mauritius and the Seychelles, which it ended on 15 May 2019. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of 90°E and south of the Equator. Tropical and subtropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Réunion.

The season set a new record of nine intense tropical cyclones, the largest number since the start of reliable satellite coverage in 1967, surpassing the 2006–07 season. Beginning the season early, Moderate Tropical Storm 01 formed during September 2018. Two other systems formed prior to the official start of the season during November—the first intense tropical cyclone and the first named storm, Alcide, and Severe Tropical Storm Bouchra. A pair of intense tropical cyclones—Cilida and Kenanga—persisted in December. In January 2019, Desmond caused damages in Mozambique, and shortly thereafter, Eketsang passed by Madagascar, producing heavy rain and landslides that killed 27. Onto the next month, Funani and Gelena threatened Rodrigues, with the latter disrupting its electricity and causing US$1 million in damages. (Full article...)

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Currently active tropical cyclones

Italicized basins are unofficial.

North Atlantic (2025): No active systems

East and Central Pacific (2025): No active systems

West Pacific (2025): No active systems

North Indian Ocean (2025): No active systems

Mediterranean (2024–25): No active systems

South-West Indian Ocean (2024–25): No active systems

Australian region (2024–25): No active systems

South Pacific (2024–25): No active systems

South Atlantic (2024–25): No active systems

Last updated: 11:30, 27 January 2025 (UTC)

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Tropical cyclone anniversaries

January 26

2004 - Cyclone Elita formed west of Madagascar, and eventually made three landfalls on the island. Heavy rainfall killed 33 people.
2008 - Cyclone Gene (pictured) developed northeast of Fiji, where it later drops heavy rainfall and causes eight deaths.

January 27

1948 - A powerful cyclone passed near the island of Réunion, killing around 100 people.
2008 - Cyclone Fame (pictured) makes landfall on the west coast of Madagascar, causing 13 deaths while crossing the island.

January 28

2000 - Cyclone Connie (pictured) reached its peak intensity with a pressure of 928 hPa (mbar), before it struck the islands of Réunion and Mauritius, where it dropped up to 400 mm (15.5 in) of rain.
2011 - Cyclone Wilma brushed the northern coast of New Zealand, where it caused heavy rainfall and flooding.

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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 Cyclone Freddy (track pictured) in 2023 was the longest-lasting tropical cyclone recorded?
…that the typhoons of 2024—Yinxing, Toraji, Usagi, and Man-yi (pictured)—made history as the first recorded instance since 1951 of four tropical cyclones coexisting in November?
…that Hurricane Otis (pictured) in 2023 was the first Pacific hurricane to make landfall at Category 5 intensity and surpassed Hurricane Patricia as the strongest landfalling Pacific hurricane on record?

Did you know archive

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

Image 1An extratropical cyclone near Iceland (from Cyclone)
Image 2Percentages of hurricane deaths in the United States from 1970 to 1999. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 3Aerial image of destroyed houses in Tacloban, following Typhoon Haiyan (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 4
Pacific hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 5Surface weather map of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane moving up the west coast of Florida (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 6
South Pacific cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 7Radar image of Hurricane Erika making landfall over Northeastern Mexico (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 8Tropical 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 9Hurricane Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 (from Cyclone)
Image 10The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 11Comparison between extratropical and tropical cyclones on surface analysis (from Cyclone)
Image 12Several cyclones on the dynamic north pole of Jupiter, imaged by Juno (from Cyclone)
Image 13The 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 14All 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 15Hurricane response involves working in hazardous conditions, including contamination and electrocution hazards from floodwater.
Image 16Chart with concurrent information for Hurricane Arlene and Tropical Storm Bret logged and plotted (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 17
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 18A 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 19The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 20The 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 21Hurricane Isabel (2003)'s effect on the North Carolina Outer Banks (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 22Broken 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 23
Pacific typhoon
(from Cyclone)
Image 24Subtropical Storm Alex in the north Atlantic Ocean in January 2016 (from Cyclone)
Image 25
North Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 26Personnel and equipment from the National Guard of the United States en route to Hurricane Florence response efforts in 2018
Image 272017 Atlantic hurricane season summary map (from Cyclone)
Image 28Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (from Cyclone)
Image 29
Atlantic hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 30The 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 31
Australian region cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 32A polar low over the Sea of Japan in December 2009 (from Cyclone)
Image 33An example of a chart for Matthew showing its five-day forecast track (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 34Flooding 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.

85 Atlantic tropical or subtropical cyclones have affected the U.S. state of Florida from 1950 to 1964. Collectively, tropical cyclones in Florida during the time period resulted in about $7.04 billion (2017 USD) in damage, primarily from Hurricanes Donna and Dora. Additionally, tropical cyclones in Florida were directly responsible for 93 fatalities during the period, as well as responsible for 23 indirect deaths. Several tropical cyclones produced over 20 inches (500 mm) of rainfall in the state, including Hurricane Easy which is the highest total during the time period. The 1969 season was the year with the most tropical cyclones affecting the state, with a total of 8 systems. The 1954 and 1967 seasons were the only years during the time period in which a storm did not affect the state.

The strongest hurricane to hit the state during the time period was Donna in 1960, which was the 8th strongest hurricane on record to strike the United States. Additionally, Hurricanes Easy, King, Isbell, and Betsy hit the state as major hurricanes.

(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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