Typhoons Occur Due to Low Pressure
Typhoons appear to be more prevalent in some areas than others, causing some confusion as to how they happen.
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Sciencing reports that typhoons start as a tropical wave of low pressure caused by rising warm air. As this wave moves west, it increases as the warm and wet ocean air is added to it. It can then turn into a thunderstorm, which can then turn into a typhoon, the worse the conditions get.
Typhoon Tip Happened in October 1979
Typhoon Tip occurred on Oct. 4, 1979, and began as a tropical storm in the western Pacific Ocean.
Source: NOAA/Wikimedia Commons
Over a week later, on Oct. 12, it had reached its height with winds up to 190 mph and a central pressure of 870 millibars, according to BWOT Weather.
Typhoon Tip Is the Largest Tropical Cyclone in History
Typhoon Tip has earned itself the reward of being the largest tropical cyclone since records began.
Source: GMS-1 Satellite/Wikimedia Commons
The wind covered a total of 2,220 kilometers, which is believed to be the largest in history.
Typhoon Tip Was Closely Monitored
Due to the intensity of Typhoon Tip, it had to be closely monitored.
Source: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon/Wikimedia Commons
Scientific America reported that 40 U.S. Air Force renaissance missions had to fly into the typhoon to help with recovery missions.
Typhoon Tip Mostly Occurred in the Pacific Ocean
Typhoon Tip had the potential to cause a lot more damage than it did, but its location meant that it didn’t.
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An analysis of Typhoon Tip in the American Meteorological Society Journal found that the storm was at its most intense in the Pacific Ocean, which meant that a lot of damage could be avoided.
Typhoon Tip Caused Extensive Damage
British Pathe has some footage of the damage caused by Typhoon Tip.
Source: Blue Globe/YouTube
The damage included fallen trees, damaged electric cables, damage to houses, and flooding.
Typhoon Tip Caused ¥105.7 Billion Worth of Damage
It may not have caused as much damage as it could have, but it still caused a hefty amount of financial damage.
Source: Blue Globe/YouTube
The total damage was ¥105.7 billion ($482.34 million), according to Digital Typhoon, with over 100 deaths and 478 people injured.
Typhoon Tip Might Not Have Been the Worst Storm in History
It may have formally been named as the worst storm in history, but there are questions about whether this is still the case.
Source: GMS-4 Satellite/Wikimedia Commons
Hurricane Science reports that typhoons such as Gay and Angela, which happened in 1992 and 1995, respectively, may have had lower central pressures that made them more intense than Typhoon Tip, although these are unconfirmed.
Other Storms Had Stronger Winds
Despite being named as the worst storm on record, other storms have had stronger winds.
Source: Presidencia de la República Mexicana/Wikimedia Commons
Yahoo! News reported that Hurricane Patricia and Typhoon Nancy both had winds of up to 215 mph. However, Typhoon Tip got its name due to its size and pressure.
A Japanese Team Wants to Control Typhoons
Due to the catastrophic nature of typhoons, a Japanese team is looking into whether it is possible to control them.
Source: Typhoon Tip/Wikimedia Commons
The Japan Times reports that a Japanese team is hoping that by 2050, typhoons will be able to either be weakened or diverted and that the energy produced from them will be used to generate power.
The Impact of Typhoon Tip
While Typhoon Tip didn’t cause as much devastation as it could have, its impact was enough to change history.
Source: GMS-1/JMA/Wikimedia Commons
So much so that the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale added category 5 due to Typhoon Tip, which includes winds over 157 mph.