What Was The Most Powerful Tropical Cyclone Ever?

[Saul Trabal]

What was the most powerful tropical cyclone in history?

Two more quick questions: I know these storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific and typhoons in the western Pacific. What are they called over the Indian Ocean? And how frequent are these types of cyclones over the Indian Ocean?

Thanks.

8)

 

[Glen Romine]

Typhoon Tip.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E1.html

Here is regional naming conventions:

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A1.html

 

[B Ozanne]

In the Indian Ocean I think they are just called cyclones. I'm sure there are regional names, but cyclone is what you commonly hear. I'm not too sure about the frequency. Bangladesh tends to take the brunt of the cyclones, but I have heard of Mozabique being hit in Africa.

As for the most powerful, that is hard to classify. In terms of lowest pressure ever recorded...Gilbert wins in the Atlantic Basin when it hit 888mb in 1988. I remember a typhoon in the Pacific that hit Guam with gusts thought to be over 200mph. It was in 1997 I think. The deadliest have occured in China and Bangladesh. Death tolls of 100,000 to 1 million have occured as recently as the 1970's.

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Back in 1993 I co-authored a nice article on Supertyphoon Tip for Weather Watcher Review that was reprinted in the Mariners Weather Log. Read it here:

http://vos.noaa.gov/MWL/aug1998.pdf

It's a nice homage to the granddaddy of all typhoons.

Tim