The most destructive hurricane in the history of the world. The most powerful and destructive hurricanes in the 21st century

Hurricane - tropical look cyclone It is distinguished by its relatively small size, but quite destructive force. The name “hurricane” itself comes from the English “hurricane”, which is used to name strong cyclones.

As a rule, they originate near North or South America. His neighbors and close relatives come from the Asia region, and Far East, and usually weaker. They are called "typhoons".

It is worth noting that not every cyclone can be called a hurricane. Some pass with atmospheric phenomena characteristic of the area and then fade away. The cyclone itself is an atmospheric vortex of impressive size, which is twisted into southern hemisphere clockwise, and counterclockwise in the north. They are especially clearly visible from space. And here atmospheric phenomenon, when viewed from above, has a spiral shape with a hole in the middle, this is the so-called “eye of the storm”. At the center of the cyclone there is a zone low blood pressure. Cyclones owe their origin to the rotation of the planet, while simultaneously moving in its orbit, so this phenomenon is considered common.

The size of cyclones can be several thousand kilometers, while the eye varies from 2-3 kilometers to several tens. As a rule, the size of hurricanes is much smaller, but the speed of air movement in a spiral is much faster and reaches several hundred kilometers per hour. Maximum 300 kilometers per hour.

In the area called the “eye of the storm” (or eye of the typhoon), the weather is usually calm with more high temperature. Warm air falls and falls into the first turns of the spiral, where the colder mass is. As a result, an area with high pressure differences is formed. This, in turn, promotes the unwinding air masses the hurricane as a whole. Therefore, the center of the spiral, near the “eye,” has increased power, highest speed and, usually, thunderclouds that cause torrential downpours.

Tropical hurricanes originate over the warm waters of the oceans somewhere near the equator. As a result of the planet's rotation, they move west and shift north. This is the reason for the large number of hurricanes off the eastern coasts. North America, as well as Mexico. These territories are larger than others in Lately suffer from the effects of severe hurricanes.

Hurricane strength is measured using the Saffir-Simpson scale, which has five categories. Today, only a few hurricanes of the fifth, highest category, are known.

Now every year there are about a dozen cyclones and several dozen cyclones throughout the planet. And here are the strongest of them.

Most strong hurricane in the world

The Great Hurricane of 1780, or another name - San Calixto. This is a tropical cyclone of enormous power that raged in the fall of 1780 near the Caribbean archipelago. It became the deadliest of all known hurricanes. According to documents of that time, at least 22 thousand are known to have died. And since in the eighteenth century the statistics were very conditional, compared to today, we can safely say that the number of victims was much greater.

The Great Hurricane struck the Caribbean islands, from Newfoundland to Barbados, passed through Haiti and destroyed up to 95 percent of all buildings. And this does not count the thousands of lives lost. The tidal wave caused by the hurricane, like a powerful tsunami, passed through some islands, sometimes reaching 7-8 meters in height. She destroyed absolutely everything in her path. The hurricane was accompanied by severe disturbances at sea, so many ships were sunk both in port bays and at some distance from the coast. Including part of the French and English flotillas that took part in the civil war USA. About a hundred ships in the water area ran aground.

Eyewitnesses said that the rain, under the influence of strong winds, tore the bark off the tree trunks, and this before knocking them down. According to scientists, the wind speed was then at least 350 kilometers per hour.

Mitch

The hurricane, which was named Mitch, passed through the Atlantic Basin with incredible power and strength. It originated in October 1998 in the south Caribbean Sea. Meteorologists assigned it the fifth category, the highest. This is due to the wind speed, gusts of which reached 320 kilometers per hour. The hurricane affected the territories of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.

Hurricane Mitch. Consequences

It completely devastated them and claimed the lives of 20 thousand people. Most people died from mudflows, strong winds and tidal waves that rose up to 6 meters in height. More than a million people were left homeless, and hundreds were in need of drinking water and medical supplies. This ultimately led to an increase in infectious diseases.

Katrina

The name Katrina is known to absolutely every American. Because this is the strongest and most destructive hurricane that has ever hit the American coast. Hurricane Katrina originated in August 2005 in the Bahamas. He quickly gained strength and began to develop towards east coast USA. As soon as the bad weather reached American shores, the hurricane became a category five hurricane.

But for acceptance necessary measures it was already too late. The authorities were unable to cope with the consequences of the disaster. Therefore, at that time, President George W. Bush's approval rating dropped to 38 percent. According to official data alone, more than one and a half thousand people became victims of the hurricane. About half a million more were left homeless. Moreover, approximately 80 percent of the area of ​​New Orleans is flooded.

Typhoon in Pakistan

On the night of November 13, 1970, a powerful typhoon hit the coastal areas of East Pakistan. Hurricane winds formed a huge wave up to 8 meters high. It swept across a number of islands and coastal areas. This typhoon was perhaps the largest disaster in the history of mankind. According to various estimates, the number of deaths ranged from 500 thousand to a million people.

In August 2017, the terrible Hurricane Harvey hit the United States with terrible force, leaving many residents of Texas and Louisiana homeless. About 30 people were missing, and the number of victims reached 44 people, which is why the morgue in the city of Houston was simply overcrowded. Harvey was called the most powerful hurricane in the United States in the last 12 years, bringing with it wind speeds reaching 210 kilometers per hour. Following " ", the states found themselves under the threat of being attacked by a new hurricane: Irma, which formed at the end of August, is already out of five and is heading towards the Caribbean. Fortunately, the land has not yet suffered from destructive winds.

Sputnik decided to recall the 3 most powerful hurricanes in history.

"San Calixto II"

The hurricane of 1780, named after the martyr of the Roman bishop, is rightfully considered the deadliest hurricane in the North Atlantic basin, part of three oceans. Almost 95 percent of buildings on the Caribbean islands were destroyed. The disaster, which raged for eleven days, claimed the lives of more than 27 thousand people in the first six days alone. According to experts, the wind speed exceeded 320 kilometers per hour. The roar from it was so strong that people could not even hear themselves. An almost 8-meter storm wave rose near the island above one of the cities and washed away all the houses. The hurricane destroyed the British fleet, 19 Dutch ships and about 40 ships of the French fleet.

"Mitch"

Hurricane Mitch has received the status of the most destructive hurricane of the last century. It “earned” this title thanks to its consequences in the autumn of the late 90s, when it completely destroyed roads, houses, trees, animals and a huge number of people. In October 1998, the disaster claimed the lives of more than 11 thousand people. Approximately the same number of people remained missing. The hurricane, whose wind gusts reached more than 280 kilometers per hour, almost wiped Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador off the face of the earth. Parts of Africa were giant mud flows. The area was gripped by absence drinking water and drugs, which has led to an increase in diseases. The hurricane subsided almost a month later.

"Katrina"

This hurricane has become perhaps the most discussed destroyer of modern times. Element with beauty female name swept across the US territory adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, tearing apart parts of the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and killing more than two thousand people in total. Residents of Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida and Ohio were also victims. New Orleans was almost completely flooded. The states began to look like huge lakes, and the number of thefts committed by looters suddenly reached incredible numbers. The consequences of the disaster were completely eliminated only a year later.

A tornado (in America this phenomenon is called a tornado) is a fairly stable atmospheric vortex, most often occurring in thunderclouds. It is visualized as a dark funnel, often descending to the surface of the earth. The wind speed in a tornado develops very high - even in weak whirlwinds it reaches 170 km/h, and in some F5 category tornadoes a real hurricane rages inside - 500 km/h. Such a natural phenomenon can cause considerable destruction. Tornadoes occur in different corners planet, but most tornadoes and tornadoes occur in the USA, in the so-called “tornado alley”.

1. Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh (1989)

The greatest destruction and casualties were caused by the tornado that hit Bangladesh on April 26, 1989. In this country, tornadoes are almost as frequent as on the North American continent. The diameter of the tornado exceeded 1.5 kilometers; it traveled 80 kilometers through the Manikganj district in the center of the country. The towns of Saturia and Daulatpur were the worst hit. 1,300 people were killed and 12,000 were injured. A powerful air whirlwind easily lifted into the air and carried away fragile buildings from the poorest areas of the cities. Some settlements were completely destroyed, and 80,000 residents were left homeless.

2. East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) (1969)

This drama took place in 1969, when Dhaka and its surrounding lands were still the eastern part of Pakistan. The tornado hit the northeastern outskirts of Dhaka, passing through densely populated areas. At that time, 660 people died and another 4,000 were injured. That day, two tornadoes passed through these places at once. The second hit the Kamilla area in Homna Upazila and claimed the lives of 223 people. Both tornadoes were the result of the same storm, but after their occurrence they took different routes.

Environmental disasters have their own specifics - during them not a single person may die, but at the same time a very significant...

3. Madarganj-Mrizapur, Bangladesh (1996)

Proportionally speaking, a small country like Bangladesh probably suffers even more from tornadoes than the United States. And the poverty of the population turns into the greatest harvest of victims that the elements collect here. No matter how people study this formidable natural phenomenon, in 1996 it again took its share of victims. This time, 700 Bangladeshis were killed and about 80,000 of their homes were destroyed.

4. “Tri-State Tornado”, USA (1925)

For a long time, this tornado that passed through the United States in the first quarter of the last century was considered the most destructive. Its trajectory ran on March 18 through the territory of three states at once - Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. According to the Fujita scale, he was assigned highest category F5. 50,000 Americans were left homeless, over 2,000 were injured, and 695 people died. Most people died in southern Illinois, and other cities were completely destroyed by the wind. The tornado raged for 3.5 hours, moving from state to state at a speed of about 100 km/h.
At that time there was no television, no Internet, and special means warnings of an approaching disaster, so most people were taken by surprise. According to eyewitnesses, the diameter of the tornado funnel reached one and a half kilometers. The disaster caused damage worth 16.5 million dollars at the time (now it would be over 200 million). On this tragic day, 9 tornadoes raged across 7 states of America, killing a total of 747 residents that day.

5. La Valletta, Malta (1961 or 1965)

It would seem that an island as far from such surprises of nature as Malta also had to experience the power of angry nature on itself in the last century. This vortex originated above the surface Mediterranean Sea, after which he headed towards the island. Having sunk and broken most of the ships in Grand Harbor Bay, he came to land, where he was able to take the lives of over 600 Maltese. The most amazing thing is that the exact date Eyewitnesses indicate this disaster in different ways: for some it happened in 1961, and for others in 1965. Although they probably wrote about it in the newspapers of that time.

Throughout the history of mankind, powerful earthquakes have repeatedly caused colossal damage to people and caused a huge number of casualties among the population...

6. Sicily, Italy (1851)

But this much older tornado is mentioned in many chronicles; it still attracts the attention of meteorologists and historians. An exact count of the victims was not carried out at that time, but there were no less than 600 people. It is assumed that the tornado acquired its colossal destructive power when two tornadoes came onto land at once and merged into one. Although history has not left any evidence for this, so this assumption will remain a hypothesis.

7. Narail and Magura, Bangladesh (1964)

Another tornado, which occurred in 1964 in long-suffering Bangladesh, devastated two cities and seven villages in addition. Approximately 500 people were killed and another 1,400 were reported missing. Despite the scale of this tragedy, very little information about it reached the world community.

8. Comoros (1951)

The African coast also turned out to be vulnerable to this type of disaster. In 1951, a giant tornado raged in earnest in the Comoros Islands, taking the lives of more than 500 islanders, as well as travelers from France. Could the latter have imagined that the earthly paradise, where they came to get pleasure, would turn into utter hell? In those years, the islands were under the protectorate of France, which decided not to disclose the details of the tragedy.

9. Gainesville, Georgia and Tupelo, Mississippi, USA (1936)

The powerful tornado, which was classified as an F5 in Gainesville and an F4 in Tupelo, literally and figuratively killed approximately 450 people, although the exact number was never determined. First, the disaster struck the city of Tupelo - it happened on April 5, 1936. At least 203 residents were killed there and another 1,600 were injured. varying degrees gravity. There are no exact figures for victims, but since newspapers at that time did not take into account victims among the black population, they were probably much higher.
The world is lucky that only one survived in this utter hell one year old child, whom we later learned under the name Elvis Presley. The very next day, a tornado that passed Alabama attacked the city of Gainesville, located in Georgia. The Cooper Pants factory was especially hit by the disaster - 70 of its workers died, and another 40 were never found and therefore fell into the category of missing persons. In total, 216 people died in this city, and the state counted losses of 13 million dollars (today it would be 200 million). Early that April, numerous tornadoes different strengths hit 6 different states: Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.

Natural hazards mean extreme climatic or meteorological phenomena, occurring naturally in that il...

10. Yangtze, China (2015)

In recent decades, people have learned to quite accurately predict the appearance of strong tornadoes, began to build protective structures in dangerous areas, so in the event of a threat of a tornado, people can quickly evacuate. But even all these precautions did not help the Chinese in 2015, when a tornado suddenly fell from the sky onto a peaceful river cruise ship. 442 people died, but other ships, warned in time, avoided trouble.
From the listed cases, it becomes completely clear how such an impressive natural phenomenon as a tornado can be deadly and destructive.

You have to hear it all the time. If previously hurricanes as a phenomenon were more typical for America, then in the mid-2000s they also affected European countries.

1

The strongest hurricane of 2005. It covered almost the entire coast of North America. The heaviest damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. According to the international Saffarin-Simpson scale, he was assigned category 5. It caused more than 1,833 deaths and caused enormous economic damage.

2

The year 2005 was marked by several international category 5 hurricanes, and one of them was the affectionately named hurricane Wilma. In a matter of minutes, he flew to Cuba and the state of Florida. It was called the most intense hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. It was this hurricane that became the most unprofitable in this region.

3

Dean was the strongest tropical cyclone of 2007. It became the next most powerful hurricane after Wilma, also a Category 5 hurricane. Dean claimed the lives of 32 people and left dozens more homeless and homeless.

4

In 2008, a fourth-category hurricane occurred, which caused enormous destruction to the city of Wilmington, which was practically at its epicenter, and destroyed the Texas town of Galveston. Although it subsided quite quickly, the damage was enormous, because Ike had a large capture area - almost 1 km, and the strongest wind reached a speed of 57 m/s.

"Ivan" is typical tropical hurricane, the 10th most powerful Atlantic cyclone on record. It became the fourth most powerful in 2004 and, again, fell on America: it passed through Jamaica, turned towards the Gulf of Mexico and hit the cities of Alabama. Ivan caused colossal destruction and cost 25 lives and $18 billion.

6 Hurricane Charlie

The strongest hurricane of 2004, which hit Jamaica, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and some states of America. The hurricane left more than 2 million people homeless and claimed 27 lives.

7

Another hurricane with a Russian name, but it was no longer America that suffered from it: Kirill hit most of Europe. Almost every country was affected, but the worst damage was in Germany, where at least 34 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed. The most affected area is Cologne-Dusseldorf.

8

"Kenneth" is a hurricane that originated in Pacific Ocean. He quickly gained strength and moved towards the ground. Approaching the coast of Mexico, it weakened and no storm warning was issued. According to the international hurricane rating scale, this was given category 3. The wind speed reached 205 km/h.

9

It originated over the Atlantic in the fall of 2013 and is named after the Apostle Jude, who is honored on October 28, when the hurricane gained its greatest power. He went through countries Northern Europe: France, Great Britain, Latvia, Russia and some other countries were at the mercy of the elements. Because of it, flights were canceled and railway traffic was stopped. The hurricane reached the Urals already weakened. The victims of “Saint Jude” were 17 people.

10

Izel was a 2014 hurricane that formed in southwestern Mexico and became a Category 4 hurricane. Approaching closer to the coast, the hurricane began to subside due to unfavorable atmospheric conditions. Hurricane Izel onshore caused power outages and downed trees. The greatest damage was in Kauai, where the hurricane led to flooding of homes, but this is not so bad compared to the destruction from the leaders of our today's top!
Scientists are increasingly saying that natural phenomena, even the most terrible ones are nature’s response to human behavior. The number of hurricanes is growing, they are changing their location and endangering more and more new territories...

allows you to find out how much is happening in the world and learn to predict them in time. It is very important to develop effective ways protection from this element. Hurricane is one of the most terrible on the planet. It often entails material damage. The lists of hurricane victims around the world are enormous.

What is a hurricane

Hurricane is very strong wind. Usually such phenomena occur in the tropics. A hurricane is born in the ocean. It occurs above the surface of waters, the temperature of which is not lower than +26 degrees Celsius, with a heating depth of 50 m. Usually the element is accompanied by a thunderstorm, heavy rain, heavy wind.

The picture below explains how a hurricane forms and lists the types on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

When warm water evaporates, the vapor rises above the surface of the ocean. Warm at a certain altitude wet air from evaporation collides with cold masses in the atmosphere. Because of this, an area is formed low pressure. It is called the epicenter of the hurricane. A funnel forms over the ocean. The width of the epicenter can be from 15 to 30 meters. Everything is calm inside, but all around there are raging winds and downpours. Meteorologists cannot yet explain exactly how the epicenter is formed.

Disasters can occur not only in the tropics, but also in other parts of the world. The causes of a hurricane of non-tropical origin are similar - the collision of hot and cold air currents in the layers of the atmosphere.

Hurricane speedusually exceeds 120 km/h. In this case, the wave height reaches 1 meter or more. A hurricane's strength exceeds 250 km/s and a wave height above 5.5 meters is considered catastrophic.

How long does a hurricane last? Its duration can reach 12 days.The elements that occur near the coast are the most dangerous. They are characterized by breakneck speed and are capable of destroying everything in their path, even entire cities. Meteorologists believe that the higher the temperature on earth, the more intense the disaster. Each degree increases the likelihood of a hurricane by several percent. Unfortunately, people have not yet learned to prevent such a disaster.

Consequences of a natural phenomenon

They can be the most terrible. Communication and power lines are damaged, populated areas are left without electricity. Trees are broken or uprooted from the ground. Wire breaks occur. Durable structures are subject to various types of damage. Light buildings can simply be demolished.

Wind lifts cars and other light objects and items into the air, causing them to collapse. As well as animals and people, which can lead to injury or death. Due to the elements, and may occur. The disaster causes damage to various sectors of the economy. Gas and water supply systems, boiler houses, sewers, heating mains, and power lines are damaged. Flooding of streets, intersections, and underground passages occurs. The roads are washed out fallen trees form blockages on them. Stations and bridges are damaged.

Crops, livestock and birds are dying. Farms are damaged. Pastures and arable lands are subject to flooding. Of particular concern are objects such as nuclear power plants, hydroelectric power stations, military warehouses, chemical plants and others, which can pose a huge danger if they are damaged by the elements.Consequences of a hurricane in cemeteriescan be quite serious. Fences and monuments may be knocked down or torn out of the ground and blown away by the wind.

As a result of the hurricanethere are often accompanying natural disasters: , showers, storms. The consequences of rainfall in the tropics can be epidemics of infectious diseases. Water stagnates in ravines and microbes spread in it - the warm climate contributes to this.

How to behave during disasters

Almost all countries experience hurricanes. Every year they cause great damage to large areas. What should it be hurricane behavior? If there is an announcement on the radio or television that a hurricane is approaching, you need to remove from your home all objects that could be picked up by strong winds. And also close all doors and windows.

Glass must be protected with shutters, shields, etc. If possible, you need to stock up on food and drinking water. All appliances in the house must be turned off, as well as electricity. Ventilation and gas taps must be closed.

When you are in a house or other room, the best shelter during a hurricane is the basement. You should go down there and take food and water supplies with you. If there is no basement, then corridors and rooms without windows will do. As a last resort, you can use a wall niche or cabinet.

The best natural shelters during a hurricane are holes, any depressions, supports of reinforced concrete bridges. You cannot hide behind billboards, under trees, near buildings. You should not stand next to wasps in pillars or climb onto a bridge or other hill. You must leave the damaged building immediately.

World statistics

World hurricane statisticssuggests that over the past 200 years this disaster has killed almost 2 million people. Losses reached hundreds of billions of dollars. The table shows the most destructive disasters that occurred in the USA:

In 2013-2014, America was hit by two powerful hurricanes - Sandy andNor'easter. The latter was born from a powerful winter storm at sea.

Most destructive hurricane in the US over the past 25 years - Katrina. As a result, 80% of New Orleans was flooded. The hurricane claimed the lives of almost 2 thousand city residents. He was assigned the fifth category. The wind speed was above 280 km/h. Katrina affected 4 states. Damage from the disaster amounted to $125 billion.

What are the hurricane statistics in Cuba? ? This country is hit by disaster several times every year. Hurricane season here is from late July to late November. The most destructive elements in the world over the past 10 years:

1. Matthew(raged in October 2016 simultaneously in Cuba and in the Dominican Republic, the wind speed was 220 km/s, about a thousand people died, 350 thousand people lost their homes and were left without a livelihood).
2. Nargis(struck Myanmar in 2008, dealing a crushing blow to the economy of what was already one of the world's poorest countries).
3. Ike(hit the USA in 2008, the wind speed was 135 km/h, the state of Texas was damaged, and a mass evacuation of residents took place).

Data for Russia

Hurricane statistics in Russiareports that such disasters do not happen here too often. Russian hurricanes cause significantly less destruction than, for example, in the United States. Most often, such a disaster strikes the northern regions: Khabarovsk region, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka.

In 2016 and 2017 happened hurricanes in Orenburg region. Statisticsclaims that there were no deaths. Nine residential buildings were damaged. The roofs were torn off. There was also a wire break.

In 2014, a hurricane in Bashkiria led to the destruction of more than a hundred. Two elderly men died. In June 2017, a hurricane occurred in Tatarstan. He caused great damage to the Republic. Houses were damaged, trees and power poles were uprooted. In 2015, there was a devastating hurricane in Chuvashia. There were several blackouts settlements. 18 houses and 1 school were damaged. In June 2017, there was a hurricane in Crimea. More than 2 thousand people were left without electricity.

The figure shows data on disasters in Moscow over the past 20 years. Here you can clearly see the date of the incident, the damage caused by the disaster to the capital, as well as data on the number of deaths from the hurricane in different years.

Former CIS countries

It is not carried out in Ukraine. But here on June 23, 1997, a very strong disaster was recorded. On the same day there was a hurricane in Belarus. The storm raged for several hours. There was great material damage. It was hot, more than +30 degrees, and a cyclone came from the west. As a result, a collision of warm and cold air masses occurred. The hurricane in Ukraine knocked out power lines. In Belarus, a wave of poetry swept from Volyn to Borisov.

Belarus reports that for this country it is so strong elements not typical. In both countries, the hurricane destroyed about 1 thousand settlements. 10 thousand houses were damaged in Belarus. 70 hectares of crops were damaged. There were about a hundred people affected by the hurricane. Of these, five died. The Minsk and Brest regions suffered the most.

Hurricanes are not uncommon in Kazakhstan. This is due to the climate of the country. In May 2017, there was a strong hurricane in Kazakhstan. Houses were destroyed and trees were torn out. Three people were killed and some were wounded.

conclusions

Hurricane statistics show that such disasters are not uncommon in the world. The damage from the disaster is great, people often die. Scientists have not yet learned to calculate in advance the strength and exact path of hurricanes. At best, only timely notification of the population about a possible disaster is possible. Governments of all countries should think about improving weather services and introducing new system warnings of an impending threat. This will allow people to evacuate in time and avoid large quantity victims and reduce the impact of the disaster.