What was the strongest hurricane ever and which is the strongest possible?

In less than two weeks, there were as many as five hurricanes, a not unusual total for an entire year. Among these, the hurricane Helenathe deadliest to hit the U.S. mainland since the hurricane KatrinaAnd Miltonthe strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year. As Floridians try to understand the devastation in their state, it’s worth asking: Could the next one be even worse?

Before we could determine what the most powerful cyclonewe need to understand what “more powerful” means. Generally, there are two main ways to measure the intensity of a hurricane: through barometric pressure, where lower pressure indicates a stronger storm, or by using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHWS). This last metric is probably the best known: for example, you may have heard about Hurricane Milton, which went from Category 1 to Category 5 in just 12 hours, causing great concern among meteorologists. But what does it really mean?

The Saffir-Simpson Scale, which ranges from one to five, with five indicating the most powerful type of hurricane, was developed in the late 1960s by consulting engineer Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson, then director of the National Hurricane Center. Initially the scale also considered details such as storm surge and flooding, but since 2009 it is based purely on maximum sustained wind speed.

The strongest hurricane ever recorded

By focusing on the storms with the lowest barometric pressure, the winner may surprise you. Typhoon Tip, the third super typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, is the largest tropical cyclone on record, lasting for 20 consecutive days in October of that year, and reaching a record low pressure of 870 hPa.

Tip caused extensive damage, especially in Japan, although it had already passed its peak intensity when it struck. With maximum sustained winds for one minute reaching 305 km/h, Tip remains one of the most intense typhoons ever, but surprisingly does not hold the record for the highest wind speed. That record belongs to Hurricane Patricia in 2015, with winds reaching 346 km/h.

The strongest possible hurricane

There is a theoretical limit to the wind speed a hurricane can reach, but it is not a fixed value. It depends on various factors, such as ocean temperature relative to cloud tops, wind shear, and atmospheric heat. Although there is a theoretical limit of around 320 km/h, some experts suggest that we could see even stronger hurricanes by the end of the century, due to climate change, which makes hurricanes more intense today than they were in the past.

Some propose expanding the SSHWS to include higher categories, such as 6 or even 7, a move that could serve as a wake-up call to address the influence of climate change on hurricanes.