Hurricane or Typhoon
A hurricane or typhoon (sometimes simply referred to as a tropical cyclone, as opposed to a depression or storm) is a system with sustained winds of at least 34 metre per second (66 kn) or 74 miles per hour (119 km/h). A cyclone of this intensity tends to develop an eye, an area of relative calm (and lowest atmospheric pressure) at the center of circulation. The eye is often visible in satellite images as a small, circular, cloud-free spot. Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, an area about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to 80 kilometres (50 mi) wide in which the strongest thunderstorms and winds circulate around the storm's center. Maximum sustained winds in the strongest tropical cyclones have been estimated at about 85 metre per second (165 kn) or 195 miles per hour (314 km/h).
| Tropical Cyclone Classifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beaufort scale |
1-minute sustained winds | 10-minute sustained winds | NE Pacific & N Atlantic NHC/CPHC |
NW Pacific JTWC |
NW Pacific JMA |
N Indian Ocean IMD |
SW Indian Ocean MF |
Australia & S Pacific BOM/FMS |
| 0–7 | <32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h) | <28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h) | Tropical Depression | Tropical Depression | Tropical Depression | Depression | Zone of Disturbed Weather | Tropical Disturbance Tropical Depression Tropical Low |
| 7 | 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) | 28–29 knots (32–33 mph; 52–54 km/h) | Deep Depression | Tropical Disturbance | ||||
| 8 | 34–37 knots (39–43 mph; 63–69 km/h) | 30–33 knots (35–38 mph; 56–61 km/h) | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm | Tropical Depression | |||
| 9-10 | 38–54 knots (44–62 mph; 70–100 km/h) | 34–47 knots (39–54 mph; 63–87 km/h) | Tropical Storm | Cyclonic Storm | Moderate Tropical Storm | Category 1 tropical cyclone |
||
| 11 | 55–63 knots (63–72 mph; 102–117 km/h) | 48–55 knots (55–63 mph; 89–102 km/h) | Severe Tropical Storm | Severe Cyclonic Storm | Severe Tropical Storm | Category 2 tropical cyclone |
||
| 12+ | 64–71 knots (74–82 mph; 119–131 km/h) | 56–63 knots (64–72 mph; 104–117 km/h) | Category 1 hurricane | Typhoon | ||||
| 72–82 knots (83–94 mph; 133–152 km/h) | 64–72 knots (74–83 mph; 119–133 km/h) | Typhoon | Very Severe Cyclonic Storm |
Tropical Cyclone | Category 3 severe tropical cyclone |
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| 83–95 knots (96–109 mph; 154–176 km/h) | 73–83 knots (84–96 mph; 135–154 km/h) | Category 2 hurricane | ||||||
| 96–97 knots (110–112 mph; 178–180 km/h) | 84–85 knots (97–98 mph; 156–157 km/h) | Category 3 Hurricane | ||||||
| 98–112 knots (113–129 mph; 181–207 km/h) | 86–98 knots (99–113 mph; 159–181 km/h) | Intense Tropical Cyclone | Category 4 severe tropical cyclone |
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| 113–122 knots (130–140 mph; 209–226 km/h) | 99–107 knots (114–123 mph; 183–198 km/h) | Category 4 hurricane | ||||||
| 123–129 knots (142–148 mph; 228–239 km/h) | 108–113 knots (124–130 mph; 200–209 km/h) | Category 5 severe tropical cyclone |
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| 130–136 knots (150–157 mph; 240–252 km/h) | 114–119 knots (131–137 mph; 211–220 km/h) | Super Typhoon | Super Cyclonic Storm | Very Intense Tropical Cyclone | ||||
| >137 knots (158 mph; 254 km/h) | >120 knots (140 mph; 220 km/h) | Category 5 hurricane | ||||||
Read more about this topic: Tropical Meteorology, Classifications, Terminology, and Naming, Intensity Classifications
Famous quotes containing the words hurricane or and/or hurricane:
“Thought and beauty, like a hurricane or waves, should not know conventional, delimited forms.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“Staid middle age loves the hurricane passions of opera.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)