Worldwide Tropical Cyclones: Listing of Global Events & Economic Loss

2024 Global Worldwide Tropical Cyclone Review includes a select listing of global events that resulted in >USD 100mn in economic loss and/or >10 fatalities. It does not include a listing of aggregated loss totals from agencies which are not easily attributed to an individual event.

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls.

Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by different names, including hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, or simply cyclone.

A hurricane is a strong tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic Ocean or northeastern Pacific Ocean, and a typhoon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. In the Indian Ocean, South Pacific, or South Atlantic, comparable storms are referred to simply as “tropical cyclones”, and such storms in the Indian Ocean can also be called “severe cyclonic storms”.

Worldwide Tropical Cyclones

Event NameDateRegionEconomic LossesFatalities
   (USD mn) 
Tropical Storm AnaJan. 22–25Africa25142
Cyclone BatsiraiFeb. 2–7Africa190123
Tropical Storm DumakoFeb. 15–16Africa5.014
Cyclone EmnatiFeb. 22–24Africa1515
Cyclone GombeMarch 8–18Africa9572
Tropical Storm JasmineApril 26–27Africa1.010
Tropical Storm MegiApril 8–13Asia200214
Typhoon ChabaJuly 2–4Asia4603
Super Typhoon HinnamnorSept. 1–6Asia1,53017
Typhoon MuifaSept. 1–6Asia437
Super Typhoon NanmadolSept. 18–20Asia3,5056
Tropical Storm TalasSept. 22–23Asia1,6003
Super Typhoon NoruSept. 25–29Asia42048
Tropical Storm SitrangOct. 24–25Asia3035
Typhoon NalgaeOct. 26–31Asia404164
Hurricane FionaSept. 16–27Latin America4,16831
Hurricane JuliaOct. 7–11Latin America83091
Tropical Storm AlexJune 2–6North America5003
Hurricane IanSept. 27–Oct. 1North America115,000137
Hurricane NicoleNov. 9–11North America1,020
Source: Beinsure by Gallagher Re

Tropical cyclone intensity is based on wind speeds and pressure; relationships between winds and pressure are often used in determining the intensity of a storm.

Tropical cyclone scales such as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale and Australia’s scale (Bureau of Meteorology) only use wind speed for determining the category of a storm.

The most intense storm on record is Typhoon Tip in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in 1979, which reached a minimum pressure of 870 hPa (26 inHg) and maximum sustained wind speeds of 165 kn (85 m/s; 306 km/h; 190 mph).

The highest maximum sustained wind speed ever recorded was 185 kn (95 m/s; 343 km/h; 213 mph) in Hurricane Patricia in 2015—the most intense cyclone ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.

Tropical cyclones in 2023

In 2023, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be named by various weather agencies when they attain maximum sustained winds of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). So far 13 systems formed with 6 of them being named.

Tropical cyclones are primarily monitored by ten warning centers across the world, designated as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center (TCWC) by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). These ten centers are the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Météo-France (MFR), Indonesia’s Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), Papua New Guinea’s National Weather Service, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS), and New Zealand’s MetService. Other notable warning centers include the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the United States’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center.

2023-2024 Australian region cyclone season

Australian region cyclone season
Australian region cyclone season

The 2023-2024 Australian region cyclone season is the period of the year when most tropical cyclones form in the Southern Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans between 90°E and 160°E. The season officially started on 1 November and will finish on 30 April, however, a tropical cyclone could form at any time between 1 July and 30 June and would count towards the season total.

During the season, tropical cyclones will be officially monitored by one of the three tropical cyclone warning centres (TCWCs) for the region which are operated by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, National Weather Service of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics.

The United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and other national meteorological services including Météo-France and the Fiji Meteorological Service will also monitor the basin during the season.

2023–2024 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

2023–2024 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season

The 2023–2024 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season is an ongoing event of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone and subtropical cyclone formation. It began on 15 November, and will end on 30 April, with the exception for Mauritius and the Seychelles, for which it will end on 15 May.

These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical and subtropical cyclones form in the basin, which is west of 90°E and south of the Equator.

However, tropical cyclones can form year-round, and all tropical cyclones that will form between 1 July and 30 June will be part of the season. Tropical and subtropical cyclones in this basin are monitored by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Réunion and unofficially by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

2023–2024 South Pacific cyclone season

South Pacific cyclone season
South Pacific cyclone season

The 2023–2024 South Pacific cyclone season is the period of the year when most tropical cyclones form within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E. The season officially started on November 1 and will end on April 30, however a tropical cyclone could form at any time between July 1 and June 30, and would count towards the season total.

During the season, tropical cyclones will be officially monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service, Australian Bureau of Meteorology and New Zealand’s MetService.

The United States Armed Forces through the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) will also monitor the basin and issue unofficial warnings for American interests. The FMS attaches a number and an F suffix to tropical disturbances that form in or move into the basin while the JTWC designates significant tropical cyclones with a number and a P suffix. The BoM, FMS and MetService all use the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale and estimate windspeeds with a period of approximately ten minutes, while the JTWC estimates sustained winds over a 1-minute period, which are subsequently compared to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS).

2023-2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season

North Indian Ocean cyclone season
North Indian Ocean cyclone season

The 2023-2024 North Indian Ocean cyclone season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The North Indian Ocean cyclone season has no official bounds, but cyclones tend to form between April and December, with the peak from May to November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northern Indian Ocean.

The scope is limited to the Indian Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, east of the Horn of Africa and west of the Malay Peninsula.

There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean — the Arabian Sea to the west of the Indian subcontinent, abbreviated ARB by the India Meteorological Department (IMD); and the Bay of Bengal to the east, abbreviated BOB by the IMD.

The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center releases unofficial advisories for interest. On average, three to four cyclonic storms form in this basin every season.

2024 Pacific hurricane season

2023 Pacific hurricane season
2024 Pacific hurricane season

The 2024 Pacific typhoon season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation, in which tropical cyclones form in the western Pacific Ocean. The season runs throughout 2024, though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October.

The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean to the north of the equator between 100°E and 180th meridian. Within the northwestern Pacific Ocean, there are two separate agencies that assign names to tropical cyclones which can often result in a cyclone having two names.

2024 Atlantic hurricane season

Atlantic hurricane season
Atlantic hurricane season

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is the upcoming Atlantic Ocean tropical cyclone season in the Northern Hemisphere. The season officially begins on June 1, 2024, and ends on November 30, 2024.

These dates, adopted by convention, historically describe the period in each year when most subtropical or tropical cyclogenesis occurs in the Atlantic Ocean (over 97%). The National Hurricane Center (NHC) will begin issuing regular Tropical Weather Outlooks on May 15, 2024, about two weeks prior to the start of the season.

Impact on property and human life

Tropical cyclones regularly affect the coastlines of most of Earth’s major bodies of water along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Tropical cyclones have caused significant destruction and loss of human life, resulting in about 2 million deaths since the 19th century.

Worldwide Tropical Cyclones: Listing of Global Events & Economic Loss

Large areas of standing water caused by flooding lead to infection, as well as contributing to mosquito-borne illnesses. Crowded evacuees in shelters increase the risk of disease propagation.

Tropical cyclones significantly interrupt infrastructure, leading to power outages, bridge and road destruction, and the hampering of reconstruction efforts.

Winds and water from storms can damage or destroy homes, buildings, and other manmade structures.

What are tropical cyclones?

Worldwide Tropical Cyclones: Listing of Global Events & Economic Loss

Tropical cyclones, also known as typhoons or hurricanes, are among the most destructive weather phenomena. They are intense circular storms that originate over warm tropical oceans, and have maximum sustained wind speeds exceeding 119 kilometres per hour and heavy rains.

Where are tropical cyclones?

Tropical cyclones occur around the equator at 5 ° – 30 °, but also have varying names depending upon where in the world they form. Tropical cyclones initially move westward (owing to easterly winds) and slightly towards the poles.

Why is it called tropical cyclone?

The practice of naming storms (tropical cyclones) began years ago in order to help in the quick identification of storms in warning messages because names are presumed to be far easier to remember than numbers and technical terms.

What are the 5 causes of tropical cyclone?

  • Large sea surface with a temperature higher than 27° C;
  • Presence of the Coriolis force;
  • Small variations in the vertical wind speed;
  • A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation;
  • Upper divergence above the sea level system.

What is cyclone explain in short?

Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania Tropical Cyclones what is
cyclone, any large system of winds that circulates about a centre of low atmospheric pressure in a counterclockwise direction north of the Equator and in a clockwise direction to the south.

What is tropical cyclone causes and effects?

Cyclones are wind storms accompanied by heavy rainfall in low-pressure areas. They are caused due to a continuous process of rising hot air over the ocean surface. This vacant space is then occupied by the cool air around, which further heats up and rises.

What causes cyclones?

Cyclones develop over warm waters in the tropical regions of the oceans where areas of very low pressure are created by air being heated by the sun. This causes the air to rise very rapidly and becomes saturated with moisture that condenses into large thunderclouds.

How do cyclones affect humans?

They include a number of different hazards that can individually cause significant impacts on life and property, such as storm surge, flooding, extreme winds, tornadoes and lighting. Combined, these hazards interact with one another and substantially increase the potential for loss of life and material damage.

How does tropical cyclone affect the environment?

Tropical cyclones remove forest canopy as well as change the landscape near coastal areas, by moving and reshaping sand dunes and causing extensive erosion along the coast. Even well inland, heavy rainfall can lead to landslides in mountainous areas.

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Edited & fact-checked by Oleg Parashchak – Editor-in-Chief Beinsure Media, CEO Finance Media Holding.