Top 5 Strongest Typhoons (All Stronger than Hurricane Wilma)

[mrbagyo]

It's very difficult to trust Dvorak Technique specially when a tropical cyclone is undergoing rapid intensification.

let's assume that recon wasn't available for hurricane Wilma at its peak... given the image below, will your intensity estimate match the real value???


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

insane intensification spurts like Wilma are very common here in WPAC..
Typhoon Cimaron did it in 2006,
Typhoon Nida did it in 2009.
many WPAC storms did it. but we can't confirm because recon ended in 1987.

The wind readings weren't too accurate in the 1960s

and the 50's --- I would say very inaccurate... and very questionable
Typhoon Della (1952) attained its peak wind of 150 KNOTS over land ??, after traversing the Sierra Madre mountains of Luzon?

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1952/24/track.gif
http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1952/24/track.dat

and JMA said it has a minimum pressure of 980 mb.
http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/digital-typhoon/summary/wnp/l/195223.html.en

[xtyphooncyclonex]

It's very difficult to trust Dvorak Technique specially when a tropical cyclone is undergoing rapid intensification.

let's assume that recon wasn't available for hurricane Wilma at its peak... given the image below, will your intensity estimate match the real value???


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

insane intensification spurts like Wilma are very common here in WPAC..
Typhoon Cimaron did it in 2006,
Typhoon Nida did it in 2009.
many WPAC storms did it. but we can't confirm because recon ended in 1987.

The wind readings weren't too accurate in the 1960s

and the 50's --- I would say very inaccurate... and very questionable
Typhoon Della (1952) attained its peak wind of 150 KNOTS over land ??, after traversing the Sierra Madre mountains of Luzon?

http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1952/24/track.gif
http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1952/24/track.dat

and JMA said it has a minimum pressure of 980 mb.
http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/digital-typhoon/summary/wnp/l/195223.html.en

I would say the winds are 150 kts (1-min) / 118 kts (10-min) and the pressure is 910 hPa. It is because it doesn't look as impressive as (e.g; Megi, Sanba)

[Ptarmigan]

I have a real hard time believing that Ethel was a Category 5 hurricane with central pressure of 972 mb. I think it was at most a Category 2. I wonder if there are satellite images of Ethel.

As for typhoons, I am pretty sure there are much stronger typhoons and tropical cyclones than Tip. Gay (1992), Angela (1995), Ivan (1997), Joan (1997), Cimaron (2006), Monica (2006), and Nida (2009). I suspect the central pressure were below 870 millibars. I wonder if there have been typhoons larger since Tip. The closest to Tip in the Atlantic was Sandy, which had tropical storm force winds of 1,100 miles across. Of course it was becoming extratropical.

I think it is very likely there have been more intense storms than Wilma in the Atlantic. They central pressure would be below 880 millibars in them. They went unmeasured.

What was the strongest Tropical Cyclone Ever???
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/1900hu ... clone-ever

[mrbagyo]

It is because it doesn't look as impressive as (e.g; Megi, Sanba)

that's not even the most impressive in WPAC..

As for typhoons, I am pretty sure there are much stronger typhoons and tropical cyclones than Tip. Gay (1992), Angela (1995), Ivan (1997), Joan (1997), Cimaron (2006), Monica (2006), and Nida (2009). I suspect the central pressure were below 870 millibars.

IMO Gay is the king of the storms. I've already made the GIF's of Angela and Cimaron but they are to large to upload... the 1997 twin - not yet.
you gotta like these GIF's...
If we only have recon in these basins... sigh...


GAY (1992) - 900 hpa


Monica (2006) - 916hpa? southern hemisphere





source: Digital Typhoon

Nida(2009) - 905 hpa
http://rammb.cira.colostate.edu/products/tc_realtime/loop.asp?product=4kmsrbdc&storm_identifier=WP262009&starting_image=2009WP26_4KMSRBDC_200911250401.jpg&ending_image=2009WP26_4KMSRBDC_200911251301.jpg

[FireRat]

2009's Nida was such a monster, jeez I remember seeing that one! Definitely top 10 IMO, maybe top 5.

[RobWESTPACWX]

HMM I forgot I posted this threat, glad to see it back at the top. I also made a top 5 deadliest typhoons recently.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvMRfMRWLCY[/youtube]

[Alyono]

Wilma would have almost certainly been a cat 4 had there been no recon. I believe the peak Dvorak estimates were 6.5

[euro6208]

Recon found 175 knots sustained winds in Megi...and Haiyan maxed out at the top of the scale, 8.0 dvorak and ADT of 8.1...

Gay and Angela of 1992 and 1995 also maxed out at 8.0 Dvorak but higher ADT than haiyan, 8.7 and 8.3...All higher than Tip and many other countless typhoons...

Too bad recon ended in 1987, we are stuck with Tip being the record holder although we all know he isn't the stronger...

Look at Wilma, only 6.5 highest dvorak because dvorak does poorly on pinhole eyes...yet it bottomed out at 882 because recon says so...

[xtyphooncyclonex]

Wilma's highest Dvorak was actually 7.8 after correcting a bias with pinhole eyes. But the incident with Wilma does not reflect that of all other storms, which is one of your logical flaws.

Strongest Storms
Tip
June
Nora
Haiyan (unproven, but sure)

[euro6208]

:uarrow: Wilma's highest Dvorak was actually 7.8 after correcting a bias with pinhole eyes. But the incident with Wilma does not reflect that of all other storms, which is one of your logical flaws.

Logical flaws?

Strongest Storms
Tip
June
Nora
Haiyan (unproven, but sure)

7.8 is ADT...

[Alyono]

I believe the typhoon Gay ADT was based upon an older technique that yielded higher values today

[1900hurricane]

I believe the typhoon Gay ADT was based upon an older technique that yielded higher values today

Looking at the Hoarau^2 and Padgett paper, it looks like they used the Objective Dvorak Technique (ODT) that was slightly modified by adding a Very Cold Dark Grey (BCDG) above Cold Dark Grey (CDG). According to the Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) paper provided by CIMSS, ODT was two generations before ADT. Comparing Haiyan's raw 8.1 from ADT version 8.1.4 to values from a modified ODT really isn't a straightforward comparison.

[Hypercane_Kyle]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Wilma* been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

Wilma, not Katrina.

[1900hurricane]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

True, background pressures do tend to be a little lower in the Western Pacific, but how did you come to the conclusion that Katrina would have a pressure drop of 25-30 mb just from switching basins?

[xtyphooncyclonex]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

Nope. Heard before that difference is only by 5-6 mbar but pressures are higher in the lower latitudes and near the IDL. It may or may not be possible, actually. Just because it is in another basin, does't mean pressure would be lower.

[Alyono]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

recon in 2008 and 2010 demonstrated that was not the case at all. I suspect that the p/w relationship was based upon bad aircraft data from the 1950s. Remember, most winds then were estimated and not measured

[CrazyC83]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

True, background pressures do tend to be a little lower in the Western Pacific, but how did you come to the conclusion that Katrina would have a pressure drop of 25-30 mb just from switching basins?

Actually, Katrina in the WPAC in normal conditions would still be around 902. 2005 had lower than average pressures in the western Caribbean and Gulf, and the difference is very slight at best.

Even without Recon, using the Schloemer equation with Haiyan comes up to an estimate very close to expected pressures in the Atlantic for an intensity of 170-180 kt (about 880-885mb).

[Hypercane_Kyle]

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

True, background pressures do tend to be a little lower in the Western Pacific, but how did you come to the conclusion that Katrina would have a pressure drop of 25-30 mb just from switching basins?

Crap. My mind transplanted "Wilma" with "Katrina." Corrected.

FWIW, the WPAC has a lower average MSLP. Had Katrina been a WPAC cyclone, with a proper recon in it, it likely would be in the 870s.

recon in 2008 and 2010 demonstrated that was not the case at all. I suspect that the p/w relationship was based upon bad aircraft data from the 1950s. Remember, most winds then were estimated and not measured

I didn't know this. I would be interested in reading more about this, if possible. The MSLP difference I remember reading about was back in the mid-2000s, so if that's out-of-date information I apologize.

[euro6208]

WPAC is a beast...

Without recon, this basin is the strongest..

I can't imagine having recon and having the record books rewritten each quarter of the year...