Typhoon Season 2013

[closedcasket]

Where can HK'ers evacuate too? The mainland? I think they will fare worse thank here.

Also most houses in HK are solid brick and concrete, not wood frames and structures with loose tiles and sheet iron roofs.

Australia has the same issue. When a cyclone comes in it wipes out houses and devastates local farming communities.

True, but would you really evacuate even if you could? I wouldn't. I've taken taxis during typhoon 9s... (Of course I paid double fare)

[closedcasket]

You do realize that you're incorrect here. As another American who has been through hurricanes - THEY ARE WORSE!

Just consider the wind speed of the storms -

In HK, a T8 storm has wind speeds of 63-117 km/h and a T10 storm has wind speeds in excess of 118 km/hr (a T10 the first storm level that raises to the level of a "typhoon"). A typhoon has wind speeds of 118-149 km/h, a severe typhoon has wind speeds of 150-184 km/h and a super typhoon has wind speeds of 185 km/h.

In the US, a category 1 (the "mildest" category) hurricane has wind speeds of 119-153 km/h (similar to a T10) and a category 4 has wind speeds of 209-251 km/h. The storms that cause so much damage in the US have much higher wind speeds than the T8s in HK and many of the T10s. The storms that do damage in the US are worse than almost all storms that hit HK. HK would be absolutely devistated by a category 4 hurricane (a super typhoon here).

Spot on!!! Perhaps TigerSun would learn from traveling and living.... Rather than googling for everything

Anyone who had lived through a cat 5 hurricane knows they are more serious than a HK typhoon.

[elliee]

Original Post Deleted

Where did you dig this bit of nonsense up? Just looking at storm wind speed statistics shows this isn't correct. Hurricanes generally have a stronger intensity than typhoons (using HK's typhoon scale) - see my earlier post.

[Watercooler]

Where did you dig this bit of nonsense up? Just looking at storm wind speed statistics shows this isn't correct. Hurricanes generally have a stronger intensity than typhoons (using HK's typhoon scale) - see my earlier post.

That's incorrect. You are only looking at typhoons that impacted HK, not typhoons in general. If you look at all the typhoons vs hurricanes, you will see typhoons on the whole tend to be stronger. Also note that the US measure wind speed by 1-minute wind speed (which tend to produce a higher wind speed for hurricanes), while the international practice is 10-minute wind speed (which tend to produce a lower wind speed).

[INXS]

JEBI......

[Mat]

And yes I've been here since 2007.... I've been through typhoons you speak of and they don't scare me one bit, sorry. I've never even had a window break.

Because...because...the city was properly "built" to resist typhoons...and lots of measures are put in place (measures that always make people on these boards joke: "it was merely a bit windy", in my country it is much stronger blablabla --- yet apparently they work....)

Anyway another case of mine is bigger than yours.....

[virago]

Spot on!!! Perhaps TigerSun would learn from traveling and living.... Rather than googling for everything

Anyone who had lived through a cat 5 hurricane knows they are more serious than a HK typhoon.

From the Hurricane Research Division - Located in Virginia Key, Florida.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/tcfaqC.html

The terms "hurricane" and "typhoon" are regionally specific names for a strong "tropical cyclone".

A tropical cyclone is the generic term for a non-frontal synoptic scale low-pressure system over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and definite cyclonic surface wind circulation (Holland 1993).

Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 17 m/s (34 kt, 39 mph) are usually called "tropical depressions" (This is not to be confused with the condition mid-latitude people get during a long, cold and grey winter wishing they could be closer to the equator ;-)). Once the tropical cyclone reaches winds of at least 17 m/s (34 kt, 39 mph) they are typically called a "tropical storm" or in Australia a Category 1 cyclone and are assigned a name. If winds reach 33 m/s (64 kt, 74 mph), then they are called:

"hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific Ocean east of 160E)

"typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the dateline)

"severe tropical cyclone" or "Category 3 cyclone" and above (the Southwest Pacific Ocean west of 160°E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90°E)

"very severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)

"tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)

(Neumann 1993).

Last updated : July 15, 2011

[Claire ex-ax]

From NOAA:

"Super-typhoon" is a term utilized by the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center for typhoons that reach maximum sustained 1-minute surface winds of at least 65 m/s (130 kt, 150 mph). This is the equivalent of a strong Saffir-Simpson category 4 or category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic basin or a category 5 severe tropical cyclone in the Australian basin.

"Major hurricane" is a term utilized by the National Hurricane Center for hurricanes that reach maximum sustained 1-minute surface winds of at least 50 m/s (96 kt, 111 mph). This is the equivalent of category 3, 4 and 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

And:

E1) Which is the most intense tropical cyclone on record?

In 2010, the WMO announced a new winner with Tropical Cyclone Olivia which struck Australia in 1996. The winds were measured at 113 m/s (220 kt, 253 mph)! This exceed the previous record holder for surface wind speeds held by the Mt. Washington Observatory since 1934.

[closedcasket]

Because...because...the city was properly "built" to resist typhoons...and lots of measures are put in place (measures that always make people on these boards joke: "it was merely a bit windy", in my country it is much stronger blablabla --- yet apparently they work....)

Anyway another case of mine is bigger than yours.....

Well no, I'm not taking a taxi if wind speeds are 200+ km per hour...

I haven't googled anything, but I've lived through tornados, hurricanes and HK typhoons. HK typhoons don't scare me one bit, the only concern I might have is it might be a little noisy at night sleeping or I might get a plant blown over on the roof.

[elliee]

That's incorrect. You are only looking at typhoons that impacted HK, not typhoons in general. If you look at all the typhoons vs hurricanes, you will see typhoons on the whole tend to be stronger.

I thought we were talking about storms affecting HK vs. storms affecting the US - tropical cyclones (hurricanes) that hit the Atlantic coast are worse in terms of wind speed/ intensity on average than tropical cyclones (typhoons) that hit HK.