Portal:Tropical cyclones

The Tropical Cyclones Portal

P:TC

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.

Selected named cyclone - show another

Typhoon Thelma at peak intensity on July 11

Typhoon Thelma, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Katring, was the first super typhoon to form in the 1987 Pacific typhoon season. Forming from the monsoon trough in the Philippine Sea, Thelma was first designated as a tropical cyclone on July 7. After moving north, Thelma turned west, while remaining poorly organized. It finally attained typhoon status on July 9, soon after developing an eye, and began to intensify at a brisker clip. During the evening of July 10, Thelma attained maximum intensity while well to the east of the northern Philippines. It also turned sharply northward in response to a trough, slowly weakening. On July 15, Typhoon Thelma, now greatly reduced in intensity, struck the south coast of South Korea. The next day, Thelma rapidly dissipated, shortly after emerging into the Sea of Japan.

Although Thelma remained well offshore the Philippines, around 500 homes were swept away due to flooding, which left more than 3,500 people homeless. A total of 130 people were rescued after a vessel sunk. Nationwide, 12 people perished. In Japan, the typhoon brought heavy rains that was responsible for property damage in 19 prefectures. Throughout the country, three people died while around 1,000 dwellings were flooded. (Full article...)

List of selected named cyclones

Selected article - show another

Track of Hurricane Ivan, according to the Saffir-Simpson scale

The meteorological history of Hurricane Ivan, the longest tracked tropical cyclone of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season, lasted from late August through late September. The hurricane developed from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of Africa on August 31. Tracking westward due to a ridge, favorable conditions allowed it to develop into Tropical Depression Nine on September 2 in the deep tropical Atlantic Ocean. The cyclone gradually intensified until September 5, when it underwent rapid deepening and reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale; at the time Ivan was the southernmost major North Atlantic hurricane on record.

Ivan quickly weakened due to dry air, but it gradually reorganized, passing just south of Grenada as a major hurricane on September 7. The hurricane attained Category 5 status in the central Caribbean Sea. Over the subsequent days its intensity fluctuated largely due to eyewall replacement cycles, and Ivan passed just south of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba with winds at or slightly below Category 5 status. Turning northward and encountering unfavorable conditions, Ivan gradually weakened before making landfall just west of Gulf Shores, Alabama on September 16 with winds of 120 mph (190 km/h). The cyclone quickly weakened to tropical depression status as it turned to the northeast, and Ivan transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 18. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

edit

Selected image - show another

Damage from Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, in South Florida.

More selected images

Selected season - show another

The 2016 Atlantic hurricane season was the first above-average hurricane season since 2012, producing 15 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30, though the first storm, Hurricane Alex which formed in the Northeastern Atlantic, developed on January 12, being the first hurricane to develop in January since 1938. The final storm, Otto, crossed into the Eastern Pacific on November 25, a few days before the official end. Following Alex, Tropical Storm Bonnie brought flooding to South Carolina and portions of North Carolina. Tropical Storm Colin in early June brought minor flooding and wind damage to parts of the Southeastern United States, especially Florida. Hurricane Earl left 94 fatalities in the Dominican Republic and Mexico, 81 of which occurred in the latter. In early September, Hurricane Hermine, the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Hurricane Wilma in 2005, brought extensive coastal flooding damage especially to the Forgotten and Nature coasts of Florida. Hermine was responsible for five fatalities and about $550 million (2016 USD) in damage.

The strongest, costliest, and deadliest storm of the season was Hurricane Matthew, the southernmost Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record and the first to reach that intensity since Felix in 2007, ending the longest streak of seasons without a hurricane of such intensity in the Satellite Era. With at least 603 deaths attributed to it, Matthew was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Stan of 2005. Furthermore, damage from Matthew is estimated to be at least $16.5 billion, making it the ninth costliest Atlantic hurricane on record at the time. Hurricane Nicole became the first major hurricane to directly impact Bermuda since Hurricane Fabian in 2003, leaving widespread but relatively moderate damage on the island. The final tropical cyclone of the season – Hurricane Otto – brought severe flooding to Central America in November, particularly in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Otto left 23 deaths and about $190 million in damage. On November 25, the storm emerged into the Eastern Pacific basin, the first such occurrence since Hurricane Cesar–Douglas in 1996. Most of the season's tropical cyclones impacted land, and nine of those storms caused loss of life. Collectively, the storms left at least 736 fatalities and $17.49 billion in damage, making the season the costliest since 2012. (Full article...)

List of selected seasons

edit

Related portals

edit

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): Tropical Storm Francisco (Dante); Severe Tropical Storm Co-may (Emong); Tropical Storm Krosa

North Indian Ocean (2025): No active systems

Mediterranean (2025–26): No active systems

South-West Indian Ocean (2025–26): No active systems

Australian region (2025–26): No active systems

South Pacific (2025–26): No active systems

South Atlantic (2025–26): No active systems

Last updated: 10:03, 24 July 2025 (UTC)

edit

Tropical cyclone anniversaries

July 23,

1997 - The third of ten Category 5 typhoons, Typhoon Rosie reaches 10-minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph).
2005 - Tropical Storm Franklin reached its peak intensity with a central pressure of 997 hPa (mbar) to the southwest of Bermuda. Franklin caused only minimal effects on land.
2012 - Typhoon Vicente (pictured) makes landfall over in Guangdong, China as a Category 4 typhoon, causing damages of nearly U$330 million.

July 24,

1979 - Tropical Storm Claudette (pictured) made landfall near the Texas-Louisianan border, bringing record levels of rainfall. The resulting floods caused about $400 million of damage.
2005 - Tropical Storm Gert becomes the fourth of seven tropical cyclones to make landfall over in Mexico. As a weak tropical storm, Gert only killed one person and caused minimal damages.

July 25

1927 - A typhoon moved ashore near Hong Kong and killed about 10,000 people from floods.
1985 - Hurricane Bob (pictured) impacted South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane. Bob caused about $20 million in damage.
2002 - Hurricane Elida became the first of three Category 5 major hurricanes of the season. Elida had maximum sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a minimum pressure of 921 hPa (27.20 inHg) out in the East Pacific.

edit

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

General images - load new batch

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

Image 1Subtropical Storm Alex in the north Atlantic Ocean in January 2016 (from Cyclone)
Image 2The 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 3A 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 4Flooding 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 5Comparison between extratropical and tropical cyclones on surface analysis (from Cyclone)
Image 6Hurricane response involves working in hazardous conditions, including contamination and electrocution hazards from floodwater.
Image 7Radar image of Hurricane Erika making landfall over Northeastern Mexico (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 8An example of a chart for Matthew showing its five-day forecast track (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 9Percentages of hurricane deaths in the United States from 1970 to 1999. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 10The 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 11Surface weather map of the 1935 Labor Day hurricane moving up the west coast of Florida (from Tropical cyclone observation)
Image 12The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 13Hurricane Isabel (2003)'s effect on the North Carolina Outer Banks (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 14Chart with concurrent information for Hurricane Arlene and Tropical Storm Bret logged and plotted (from Tropical cyclone preparedness)
Image 15Tropical 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 16A polar low over the Sea of Japan in December 2009 (from Cyclone)
Image 17Several cyclones on the dynamic north pole of Jupiter, imaged by Juno (from Cyclone)
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 19Aerial image of destroyed houses in Tacloban, following Typhoon Haiyan (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 20An extratropical cyclone near Iceland (from Cyclone)
Image 21The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Gulfport, Mississippi. Katrina was the costliest tropical cyclone in United States history. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)
Image 22The 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 23Cyclone on Mars, imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope (from Cyclone)
Image 24Personnel and equipment from the National Guard of the United States en route to Hurricane Florence response efforts in 2018
Image 25Hurricane Florence viewed from the International Space Station (from Cyclone)
Image 26Broken concrete utility pole in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017, which ranks fourth in costliest US tropical cyclones. (from Effects of tropical cyclones)

Featured list - show another

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

The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was an event in the annual tropical cyclone season in the north Atlantic Ocean. An above-average Atlantic hurricane season, it was the first on record to have a major hurricane in every month from July to November.

The season officially began on June 1, 2008, and ended on November 30, 2008, dates that conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones develop in the Atlantic basin. The season's first storm, Tropical Storm Arthur, formed on May 30, and the last, Hurricane Paloma, dissipated on November 10. Pre-season forecasts noted a high possibility for an above average number of tropical cyclones, primarily due to lingering La Niña effects and abnormally warm sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic basin. Altogether, 16 of the 17 tropical cyclones observed during the season developed into tropical storms. Of these, eight became hurricanes with five intensifying further into major hurricanes. With the exception of Tropical Storm Nana, every tropical cyclone during the season affected land to an extent. (Full article...)

List of Featured lists

Topics

edit

Subcategories

Category puzzle

Select [►] to view subcategories

edit

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.

edit