Hurricane Milton was a monster storm which sent thousands fleeing from Florida, but it wasn’t the biggest on record.
Nor were Storm Bert and Storm Conall, which battered the UK this week and saw several deaths and hundreds of homes and businesses flooded.
The west coast of the US has also been pummeled by a bomb cyclone, bringing strong winds to coastal areas and heavy snow further inland.
Turning back the clock, the world’s largest ever storm hit more than 45 years ago, when Typhoon Tip churned above the Pacific.
It reached peak intensity on October 12 1979, before making landfall in Japan and dissipating soon after.
Measuring 1,380 miles in diameter (further than London to Romania), the super typhoon travelled a 20-day path around the ocean, and had a central pressure of 870 mb, compared to Milton’s 897 mb.
And while the world has not seen such a large storm for many years, it may not be long before the record is broken.
Forecaster Jim Dale, the founder of British Weather Services, said hurricanes are getting stronger in general due to increased sea temperatures.
‘On a global scale this is only going in one direction,’ Jim told Metro.
Hurricane Milton came right on the heels of Hurricane Helene in a one-two punch to the southern US.
It is fastest storm on record to intensify into Category 5 in the Gulf of Mexico, and climatologists fear the usual hurricane season this year may set the scene for the world with more damaging hurricanes.
Tip, while a monster in size, was not the most deadly on record, and nor did it have the fastest winds.
It is possible that other storms have surpassed it in terms of its low pressure but were not noted as such, while Tip was one of the most studied storms ever.
The US Air Force flew dozens research missions into the cyclone to take measurements and help storm research.
Tip still holds the Guinness World Record for ‘largest tropical cyclone’ (hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all much the same thing, but given different names depending in which part of the world they happen).
Tip caused millions of pounds worth of damage to fishing and agricultural industries in Japan, and it also caused deaths of 86 people.
Among them were 13 US marines who were stationed in Japan, who died in a fire caused by a fuel tank tipped over by strong rain and winds.
Gasoline poured out from the container, making the area dangerously flammable and causing an inferno which injured dozens of others.
Tip reached its maximum strength far from land, however, so did not cause the levels of devastation caused by the deadliest storm on record, the Bhola Cyclone, which killed up to half a million people in modern-day Bangladesh.
Mr Dale said that while the hurricanes we see due to climate change may not necessarily increase in number, they will become stronger.
‘When you get one, instead of just getting a soft punch you get a really big punch and it knocks you out,’ he said.
10 of the deadliest hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones on record
The Great Bhola Cyclone, 1970
This huge cyclone hit Bangladesh and some estimates put the death toll at at 500,000 people – but at least 300,000 people died.
Shanghai Typhoon, 1931
This typhoon swept across China and killed at least 300,000 people due to the high winds and subsequent flooding caused by heavy rains.
Hugli River Cyclone, 1737
Also known as the Calcutta Cyclone, it made landfall on October 11 in the Ganges River Delta.
It’s estimated between 300,000-350,000 people died.
Haiphong Typhoon, 1881
This typhoon originated near the Philippines and wreaked devastation along the coast of Vietnam.
It created a huge storm surge which killed about 300,000 people.
Super Typhoon Nina, 1975
Nina was a short-lived but devastating typhoon, passing Taiwan to make landfall in China, causing the Banqiao and Shimantan dams to collapse which led to unprecedented flooding downstream.
The death toll is estimated somewhere between 171,000 and 229,000 people.
Great Backerganj Cyclone, 1876
This huge cyclone battered Bangladesh and is estimated to have caused around 200,000 deaths.
Cyclone Nargis, 2008
A freak cyclone which formed in late April of that year, outside of the normal cyclone season, Nargis swept across India, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Laos and Bangladesh.
Estimates suggest about 140,000 people died, but it’s thought the true figure could be closer to one million.
Shantou Typhoon, 1922
This typhoon killed about 60,000 people when it hit the Chinese city of Shantou in August 1922.
The Great Hurricane, 1780
This hurricane is thought to have formed near the Cape Verde Islands on around October 9, before moving west past Martinique, St Lucia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The total number of dead is somewhere between 22,000 and 27,000.
Storm Daniel, 2023
A more recent addition to this list, Storm Daniel swept through the Mediterranean and impacted Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and Israel.
The death toll is estimated somewhere between 6,000-24,000 people.
The only good think about the current levels of deadly storms like Milton and Helene were that they were focusing minds to the dangers of climate change, he said.
Hurricane Katrina may have been strengthened by a warming climate, but Milton and Helene ‘definitely’ were, he said.
‘We’ve just seen two in a row. We’re going in one direction, and it’s the wrong direction.’
He said that meteorologists are even discussing whether our current categorisation system for hurricanes is strong enough, as it currently tops out at Category 5, whereas future storms may warrant a Category 6.
‘Nobody’s decided to move the notch up yet, but it might yet happen,’ he said.
In the meantime, this year’s hurricane season is still not over, so there could be more to come.
This article was first published on October 12, 2024
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