2 posts tagged “typhoon”
Cyclones, another word for hurricanes (as well as typhoons), do normally occur in the Bay of Bengal. On this planet, in most cases, warm water + wind blowing the right way = tropical storms. The average occurrence of tropical storms is 4 to 6 storms with only 2 reaching cyclone status per year, and the season runs from the spring through fall, going to sleep from June til September, being influenced by such factors as monsoons when the ITCZ moves over land. The peak number normally occur in October. They form in the ITCZ (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone), the same wind belt where storms form in the Atlantic. The frequency of storms has been found to be increasing during ENSO (El Nino) years (according to the SAARC Meteorological Research Centre). The powerful cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, formerly Burma, on May 2, 2008. At its peak it was a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 195 kilometers per hour (kmh). Highest recorded winds were 220 kmh. The storm surge caused a large tidal wave 12 feet in height that washed out entire villages. UN officials report that hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless. There is massive price gouging of food, water and fuel.
The death toll now stands at 15,000 people, with 30,000 still missing. (May 5) UPDATE MAY 7: OVER 22,000 DEAD, 41,000 MISSING, 1 MILLION HOMELESS. The UN has consulted with many scientists and last year issued a report which included the statement, that the intensity of tropical storms and hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons is increasing, and is directly related to global warming. If as you read this, you sit on your sofa, or computer chair, or on the grass of the park, and feel helpess, you are not. You care enough to read this, and you can care enough to unplug your clothes dryer, or increase the temp so the air conditioning is not so low you can sleep beneath a blanket in the hot of summer; you can shop with your carbon footprint in mind; you can ride a bike to work; you can vote. We are not helpless. We have enough will and brain power to make change. Peace out.
Typhoon (aka Hurricane) season in Asia is not over yet. (It normally runs from May - November)
Another "super-typhoon" is headed for China. This one is named Wipha, and currently packs winds of 165 miles per hour. 1.6 million people have been evacuated rfom their homes by the Chinese government.
Taiwan got it first, and they had closed even the stock market in the anticipation of the monster storm. Waves of up to 36 feet in height were headed for China as the storm approached.
Fu, who works at the Chinese Meteorological Bureau, stated that this storm would be the worst one for awhile.
A brief history of recent typhoons in Asia:
Typhoon Koyage hit Japan in October 2004 and killed 67 people. Winds were sustained at 142 mph.
2005 suffered 23 typhoons and "severe tropical storms", and 4 tropical depressions.
2006 endured 23 typhoons and "severe tropical storms", 8 tropical depressions.
2007 has had 12 storms so far with 9 being typhoons, including super typhoon Sepat (see previous posting, August), which killed at least 43 people and sustained 160 mph winds. Damages are estimated at nearly 700 million dollars.
Has there been an increase due to global warming*?
Today, which is Tuesday, Zheng Guoguang, the head of the China Meteorological Administration, said at a news conference: "Due to global warming, the number of strong typhoons is increasing and more areas are vulnerable to the attack by typhoons."
* Facts: SST are increasing. Tropical storms are fed by warm water.
The IPCC, GOOS, etc., and loads of us believe, this will cause a change. If you do not, that is your opinion. But my blog is for, those of us who do.
"Trends in human-influenced environmental changes are now evident in hurricane regions," states Kevin Trenberth, from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "These changes are expected to affect hurricane intensity and rainfall, but the effect on hurricane numbers remains unclear."
Kerry Emanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge: The duration and strength of hurricanes have increased by about 50 percent over the last three decades (published in Nature, 2005)
