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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Kenna near peak intensity on October 24

Hurricane Kenna was the fourth-most intense tropical cyclone on record in the Eastern Pacific basin, and at the time the third-most intense Pacific hurricane to strike the west coast of Mexico. Kenna was the sixteenth tropical depression, thirteenth tropical storm, seventh hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and third Category 5 hurricane of the 2002 Pacific hurricane season. After forming on October 22 to the south of Mexico from a tropical wave, forecasters consistently predicted the storm to strengthen much less than it actually did. Moving into an area of favorable upper-level conditions and warm sea surface temperatures, Kenna quickly strengthened to reach peak winds of 165 mph (270 km/h) as a Category 5 hurricane, on October 25, while located about 255 mi (410 km) southwest of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. Weakening as it turned to the northeast, the hurricane made landfall near San Blas, Nayarit as a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h), before dissipating on October 26 over the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains.

The name "Kenna" was retired from the list of Pacific hurricane names due to its effects on Mexico, which included US$101 million in damage and four deaths. The worst of the hurricane's effects occurred between San Blas in Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, where over 100 people were injured and thousands of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. 95% of the buildings in San Blas were damaged, and hundreds of buildings were destroyed along coastal areas of Puerto Vallarta. (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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Tropical Storm Allison over Mississippi as a Subtropical Storm on June 11, 2001. Despite the eye feature, Allison only has winds of 45 mph. The picture is a radar reflectivity image from Mobile, Alabama.

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The 1994 Pacific hurricane season was the final season of the eastern north Pacific's consecutive active hurricane seasons that started in 1982. The season officially started on May 15, 1994, in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 1994, in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1994. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The first tropical cyclone formed on June 18, while the last system dissipated on October 26. This season, twenty-two tropical cyclones formed in the north Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, with all but two becoming tropical storms or hurricanes. A total of 10 hurricanes occurred, including five major hurricanes. The above average activity in 1994 was attributed to the formation of the 1994–95 El Niño.

Of note in this season is an unusual spree of very intense storms; the season was the first on record to see three Category 5 hurricanes, later tied in 2002 and 2018. Hurricanes Emilia, Gilma, John, and Olivia all reached a pressure below 930 millibars. Hurricane John was the farthest-traveling tropical cyclone on record at 13,180 km (8,190 mi). Elsewhere, Hurricane Rosa caused four casualties in Mexico as the basin's only landfalling tropical storm or hurricane, and later was responsible for flooding in Texas. (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): Intense Tropical Cyclone Vince

Australian region (2024–25): Severe Tropical Cyclone Taliah

South Pacific (2024–25): Tropical Disturbance 06F

South Atlantic (2024–25): No active systems

Last updated: 18:26, 5 February 2025 (UTC)

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Tropical cyclone anniversaries

February 5

1977 - Cyclone Emilie moved ashore Mozambique, where flooding killed about 300 people.
2002 - Cyclone Chris (pictured) reached its peak intensity with 230 km/h (145 mph) winds before making landfall in a sparsely populated area of Western Australia.

February 6

2003 - Cyclone Beni (pictured) impacted the Queensland coast as a weakening system. Beni caused heavy flooding in Central Queensland that killed one person and caused $10 million of damage.

February 7

2005 - Cyclone Harvey made landfall on the Queensland-Northern Territory border as a Category 3 cyclone but caused only minor damage.
2009 - Cyclone Gael (pictured) reaches peak strength as an intense tropical cyclone off the coast of Madagascar. Only 2 people were killed by the cyclone.

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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 1The 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 2Tropical 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 3
Pacific typhoon
(from Cyclone)
Image 4
Australian region cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 52017 Atlantic hurricane season summary map (from Cyclone)
Image 6
Atlantic hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 7Surface weather map of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane moving up the west coast of Florida (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 8Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (from Cyclone)
Image 9Hurricane Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 (from Cyclone)
Image 10Several cyclones on the dynamic north pole of Jupiter, imaged by Juno (from Cyclone)
Image 11Flooding 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)
Image 12Hurricane Isabel (2003)'s effect on the North Carolina Outer Banks (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 13The 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 14The 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 15A 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 16Comparison between extratropical and tropical cyclones on surface analysis (from Cyclone)
Image 17The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 18All 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 19Radar image of Hurricane Erika making landfall over Northeastern Mexico (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 20Subtropical Storm Alex in the north Atlantic Ocean in January 2016 (from Cyclone)
Image 21Broken 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 22Personnel and equipment from the National Guard of the United States en route to Hurricane Florence response efforts in 2018
Image 23The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 24
South Pacific cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 25
Pacific hurricane
(from Cyclone)
Image 26A polar low over the Sea of Japan in December 2009 (from Cyclone)
Image 27Percentages of hurricane deaths in the United States from 1970 to 1999. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 28Chart with concurrent information for Hurricane Arlene and Tropical Storm Bret logged and plotted (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 29An extratropical cyclone near Iceland (from Cyclone)
Image 30Hurricane response involves working in hazardous conditions, including contamination and electrocution hazards from floodwater.
Image 31Aerial image of destroyed houses in Tacloban, following Typhoon Haiyan (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 32An example of a chart for Matthew showing its five-day forecast track (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 33
North Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)
Image 34
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone
(from Cyclone)

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

The 2015 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was a below-average tropical cyclone season which featured the highest number of deaths since the 2010 season. Despite inactivity in the Bay of Bengal caused by the ongoing El Niño, the season produced an above-average number of tropical cyclones in the Arabian Sea. The first storm of the season, Ashobaa, formed on 7 June, while the final storm of the season, Megh, ultimately dissipated on 10 November.

A total of twelve depressions were recorded, of which nine intensified into deep depressions. Of these nine, a total of four further strengthened into cyclonic storms, while two attained their peaks as extremely severe cyclonic storms. In early June, Cyclonic Storm Ashobaa produced significant flooding in eastern Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Later that month, Deep Depression ARB 02 resulted in the worst floods in the Amreli district of Gujarat in 90 years. The storm resulted in 80 deaths and an estimated 16.5 billion Indian rupees in damage in the state. In late July and early August, Cyclonic Storm Komen resulted in between 187 and 280 deaths in northeastern India, Bangladesh and Myanmar due to torrential rains as it slowly moved through the region. In early November, Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Chapala, the strongest storm of the season, became the first recorded tropical cyclone to produce hurricane-force winds in Yemen. During the storm's passage, areas in southern Yemen received 610 mm (24 in) of rainfall over 48 hours, or 700% of the average yearly precipitation. Just days after Chapala produced widespread damage in Yemen and the Puntland region of Somalia, Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Megh passed through the same region causing further destruction. Megh was judged to have been the worst tropical cyclone ever to affect the Yemeni island of Socotra, and resulted in 18 deaths on the island. The final storm of the season to form, Deep Depression BOB 03, produced significant flooding in southern India and resulted in at least 71 deaths in the region in early November. (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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