Free It's Raining Fish and Spiders by Bill Evans Page B

the equivalent of what normal air pressure would be like at 2,500 feet.
    Winds circulating around Tip’s eye were blowing at a sustained rate of 190 mph, with gusts probably well over 200 mph. The eyewall extended up to 55,000 feet, where infrared temperatures were measured at an incredible –135ºF (–92.8ºC). Fortunately, Tip never made landfall, though it took a shot at Guam, swerving at the last moment to the west and thus sparing the small and vulnerable island.
    By October 18, Tip had accelerated toward the northwest and was rapidly losing power. By the time it brushed Japan on October 19 and 20, it was much tamer. Wind gusts were only 88 mph along the runways at Tokyo’s airport.
    There have been other storms with lower air pressure. Cyclone Monica, which struck Australia’s north coast in April 2006, now holds the world record for lowest pressure for any cyclone at 868.5 mb (25.65 inches of mercury). Meteorologists would expect this level of air pressure to be related to estimated winds of 180 mph, with gusts to 220 mph. However, when Monica struck the unpopulated area of northern Australia, there were no weather instruments in place to provide an official record of her wind speeds.
    In the Atlantic Ocean, 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert’s 888 mb (26.22 inches of mercury) had retained the record for the lowest estimated pressure for more than a decade. I flew aboard the Hurricane Hunter during that hurricane and what a ride that was! However, Gilbert’s record was eclipsed by Hurricane Wilma’s 882 mb (26.04 inches of mercury) in October 2005.
    However, despite these achievements in low air pressure, no other cyclone has ever reached the size and scope of Super Typhoon Tip.
    Hurricane Extremes!
    LARGEST EYE—EYE SEE YOU!
    Wow! That’s a big peeper you’ve got there!
    Super Typhoon Carmen holds the record for the largest eye at 230 miles in diameter. That’s a massive eye!
    Despite that giant eye, the storm was relatively weak for its size. By the time it passed over Okinawa, Japan, on August 20, 1960, Carmen’s winds were 90 mph.
    Remember what I said earlier: when the eye is large, the storm will be weaker. Dynamite comes in small packages!
    SMALLEST EYE—EYE CAN’T SEE YOU!
    Wow! I barely can see you!
    That’s what I thought when I was looking at satellite loops, searching for the eye of Hurricane Wilma! Wilma’s eye was only 2 miles in diameter when she was at her strongest, on October 19, 2005, in the Caribbean.
    Wilma also owns the record for the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic basin with that record low pressure of 882 mb! Wilma may have been small, but just ask anyone in Florida and they will tell you, she packed a wallop!
    WHO’S THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, AND MEANEST OUT THERE?
    Super Typhoon Tip! No question!
    DEADLIEST EVER!
    The deadliest tropical storm that ever occurred was in the Brahmaputra River Delta of Bangladesh on November 12, 1970. A storm surge of 40 feet (five stories high on a building and one of the highest ever recorded!) flooded the islands at the head of the Bay of Bengal. The islands are densely populated and, unfortunately, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 lives were lost.
    WHAT’S THE HURRY? WHO’S THE FASTEST?
    In the Atlantic, Hurricane Humberto is the big winner! Just off the coast of Texas in 2007, Humberto set a speed record for intensification. In just 14 hours 15 minutes, it went from a tropical depression to a full-blown hurricane.
    Super Typhoon Forrest, cruising in the western Pacific during September 1983, saw his wind strength go from 75 mph to 175 mph in just 24 hours. Wow!
    WHOA—TOO MUCH COFFEE, WAY TOO INTENSE!
    Hurricane Wilma is the most powerful storm ever observed in the Western Hemisphere. On October 19, 2005, its record low pressure of 26.04 inches of mercury was observed south of Cuba. Wilma’s maximum sustained winds reached 185 mph.
    Thank goodness Wilma never hit land with