Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Tropical cyclones - statistics & facts
As global sea temperatures rise, storm seasons around the tropics are becoming stronger and harder to predict . In the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific alone, the annual number of tropical cyclones has reached the 40-storms-mark six times since the beginning of the century, with five of them reported in the past six years. Once a cyclone approaches land areas, its strong winds, heavy rain, and ensuing high waves can result in significant social and economic devastation, destroying homes and infrastructure and causing loss of life.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
Named storms with wind speeds above a certain threshold receive special names depending on the basin in which they occur: In the Atlantic basin, they are called hurricanes; in the North Pacific, typhoons; in the South Pacific and Indian oceans, simply tropical cyclones. In 2023, the number of hurricanes worldwide – those with a sustained wind speed of 74 miles per hour or greater – was 45, which was below the 1991-2022 average of 47.
In addition to the irreversible cost of lives lost, tropical cyclones also cause significant economic losses, estimated at almost 900 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in the past decade. With losses exceeding 196 billion U.S. dollars, Hurricane Katrina is the world’s costliest tropical cyclone. The Category 5 hurricane made landfall in the U.S. in late August 2005, affecting mainly the states of Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans. Of the five costliest tropical cyclones on record, six have occurred since 2010.
While 2023 experienced a weaker season in terms of the number of major cyclones, primarily due to the influence of El Niño, 2024 is forecast to have an above-normal season. Already in July 2024, hurricane Beryl became the earliest category five hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. The basin’s hurricane season runs from June to November.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
Storms, cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons
A tropical cyclone is defined as a rapidly rotating storm that forms over warm tropical ocean waters. Cyclones with a wind speed above 39 miles per hour (63 kilometers per hour) are considered tropical storms and are given a name. In 2023, there were 78 named storms registered worldwide. Three years earlier, the highest number in at least four decades was recorded, with 104 named storms in a single year. The Northwest and Northeast Pacific basins are the most active for tropical cyclones worldwide.Named storms with wind speeds above a certain threshold receive special names depending on the basin in which they occur: In the Atlantic basin, they are called hurricanes; in the North Pacific, typhoons; in the South Pacific and Indian oceans, simply tropical cyclones. In 2023, the number of hurricanes worldwide – those with a sustained wind speed of 74 miles per hour or greater – was 45, which was below the 1991-2022 average of 47.
The effects of tropical cyclones
Once they make landfall, tropical cyclones can have devastating effects, the severest of which is loss of life. There have been almost 800,000 deaths from tropical cyclones worldwide from 1970 to 2021, an average of 43 deaths per day, making it the deadliest weather-related disaster during that period. Nevertheless, advances in forecast and early warning systems have helped reduce the death toll of major cyclones in recent decades.In addition to the irreversible cost of lives lost, tropical cyclones also cause significant economic losses, estimated at almost 900 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in the past decade. With losses exceeding 196 billion U.S. dollars, Hurricane Katrina is the world’s costliest tropical cyclone. The Category 5 hurricane made landfall in the U.S. in late August 2005, affecting mainly the states of Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans. Of the five costliest tropical cyclones on record, six have occurred since 2010.
While 2023 experienced a weaker season in terms of the number of major cyclones, primarily due to the influence of El Niño, 2024 is forecast to have an above-normal season. Already in July 2024, hurricane Beryl became the earliest category five hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. The basin’s hurricane season runs from June to November.
