Largest Tropical Cyclone

[Ptarmigan]

Since Tip is the largest tropical cyclone in terms of gale force wind extent, which extended up to 675 miles from the eye. Also, including circulation size of tropical cyclones. The next largest is Marge, at 780 miles in diameter. I wonder if there have been storms since Tip that have come close to being its size. Also, I wonder what is the largest tropical cyclone in each basin (EPAC, NIO, SIO, and SPAC)? I know for the Atlantic, they are:
Indianola Hurricane of 1886
Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 (May have been undergoing extratropical transition)
Carla
Allen
Gilbert
Luis
Opal
Cindy
Katrina
Florence

[Derek Ortt]

Wilma may have been the largest in the Atlantic once it cleared Florida (it was much larger than Gilbert, Katrina, etc)

[MiamiensisWx]

It would be interesting to document the strongest TC (1-min winds) with a large RMW. The Radius of Maximum Winds measures the distance from the eye to the peak winds of a tropical cyclone. Some evidence suggests that the 1926 and 1928 hurricanes may have featured large RMWs at landfall in southeast Florida. The overall wind field (>34 and >74 kt winds) was expansive in these tropical cyclones. I think the 1926 hurricane may have produced peak sustained winds of 85 kt (Cat 2) in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood, although the center made landfall 22 miles further south on Coral Gables and Miami. My personal estimate of the landfall intensity is 120 kt/934 mb. A pressure of 981 mb was measured in Miami during the 1928 hurricane, although the center crossed the coast near Palm Beach Shores, FL (70 miles to the north). That suggests a large SLP outer isobar, which is not surprising since the TC was likely interacting with a shortwave trough over the eastern United States at the time of landfall. It was similar to Floyd 1999 with respect to size.

It's particularly interesting because researchers utilize the RMW in order to estimate maximum sustained winds. Smaller RMWs often imply stronger winds in the deep tropics, especially in systems like Janet, Charley, Andrew, 1935, et al. Pressure-wind relationships are also incorporated into the estimates. In the case of Gulf systems like Katrina and Rita, recent findings are particularly important because of the discrepancies with weakening northern Gulf storms. In the case of the 1926 and 1928 FL hurricanes, I assume that the ambient pressures probably determine the maximum winds in these larger tropical cyclones...

Additionally, the 1916 Texas hurricane made landfall with 115 kt winds and a large RMW near 25 nmi according to the recent reanalysis results.

Carla and Gilbert certainly belongs on any list that encompasses large hurricanes.

[Ptarmigan]

Wilma may have been the largest in the Atlantic once it cleared Florida (it was much larger than Gilbert, Katrina, etc)

Wasn't Wilma already in an extratropical phase when it happened?

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS...AND WILMA IS EXPECTED TO LOSE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES...165 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 430 MILES...695 KM.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/pu ... .041.shtml?

I know it is large, especially in the gale force wind extent.

[CrazyC83]

Wilma may have been the largest in the Atlantic once it cleared Florida (it was much larger than Gilbert, Katrina, etc)

Wasn't Wilma already in an extratropical phase when it happened?

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 115 MPH...185 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24
HOURS...AND WILMA IS EXPECTED TO LOSE TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
DURING THE NEXT DAY OR SO.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 105 MILES...165 KM...
FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP
TO 430 MILES...695 KM.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/pu ... .041.shtml?

I know it is large, especially in the gale force wind extent.

Officially it was still tropical at that point, but I think it might have been a 100-110 kt extratropical storm at that point personally, somewhat like Hazel in 1954 (at least it was over open waters this time). It was at least in extratropical transition, which is why it was so huge. Those are the kind of storms the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic fears.

[Derek Ortt]

Wilma ET... that statement makes little sense. Nothing suggested ET at that time

[Ptarmigan]

Wilma ET... that statement makes little sense. Nothing suggested ET at that time

Here are satellite images of Wilma during that time.

ftp://eclipse.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/isccp/b ... -12-IR.jpg
ftp://eclipse.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/isccp/b ... -12-IR.jpg

[HurricaneRobert]

That doesn't look bigger than this:



About 700 miles across.

[RL3AO]

At peak, Noel had 64kt winds extending 40 mi, with 35kt winds extending 125mi
Off the coast of Florida, Wilma 64kt winds extending 90 mi, with 35kt winds extending 375mi

[HurricaneRobert]

At peak, Noel had 64kt winds extending 40 mi, with 35kt winds extending 125mi
Off the coast of Florida, Wilma 64kt winds extending 90 mi, with 35kt winds extending 375mi

Nope. While it was still a hurricane:

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 70 MILES...110 KM...FROM
THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 345
MILES...555 KM. THE CYCLONE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN SIZE DURING
THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

Noel was increasing rapidly in size on the 2nd, and was a huge extratropical system on the 3rd.

[HurricaneRobert]

Frances (1998) was about the same size at its largest too:

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 345 MILES...555
KM...MAINLY OVER THE WATER AND COAST TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE
CENTER. STRONG SQUALLS ARE CONTINUING TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MID
TO UPPER TEXAS COAST AND WIND GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE COULD
OCCUR.

[Ptarmigan]

Frances (1998) was about the same size at its largest too:

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 345 MILES...555
KM...MAINLY OVER THE WATER AND COAST TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE
CENTER. STRONG SQUALLS ARE CONTINUING TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MID
TO UPPER TEXAS COAST AND WIND GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE COULD
OCCUR.

I remember Frances in 1998. It was a huge rainmaker for SE Texas.

[HurricaneBill]

Wasn't Floyd a huge storm too?

[HurricaneRobert]

I don't think cyclones get very big in the southern hemisphere. Maybe they have a smaller environment to develop in, because most seem to die out about 24 degrees from the equator. That would be like hurricanes going extratropical near Miami.

I have not noticed many large storms in the north Indian Ocean. Gonu was probably the largest in the Arabian Sea.

[CrazyC83]

I don't think cyclones get very big in the southern hemisphere. Maybe they have a smaller environment to develop in, because most seem to die out about 24 degrees from the equator. That would be like hurricanes going extratropical near Miami.

I have not noticed many large storms in the north Indian Ocean. Gonu was probably the largest in the Arabian Sea.

You're right, it seems that mid-latitude hurricanes are limited to the Atlantic and Western Pacific (the North Indian has nothing but land above the mid 20s latitude though).

[HurricaneRobert]

Wasn't Floyd a huge storm too?

I looked it up. Floyd was big. At it's largest it was about 580 miles across. Isabel was actually bigger at about 690 miles.

[Ed Mahmoud]

Frances (1998) was about the same size at its largest too:

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 345 MILES...555
KM...MAINLY OVER THE WATER AND COAST TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE
CENTER. STRONG SQUALLS ARE CONTINUING TO AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MID
TO UPPER TEXAS COAST AND WIND GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE FORCE COULD
OCCUR.

I remember Frances in 1998. It was a huge rainmaker for SE Texas.

And, as I recall, more because of the fetch than the winds, did some serious beach erosion and damage, around Kemah and Galveston.

[CrazyC83]

Wasn't Floyd a huge storm too?

I looked it up. Floyd was big. At it's largest it was about 580 miles across. Isabel was actually bigger at about 690 miles.

690 miles wide at landfall, correct?

[HurricaneRobert]

Wasn't Floyd a huge storm too?

I looked it up. Floyd was big. At it's largest it was about 580 miles across. Isabel was actually bigger at about 690 miles.

690 miles wide at landfall, correct?

When it was no longer annual, I think.

Florence in 2006 was another big one:

TROPICAL STORM FLORENCE ADVISORY NUMBER 20
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL062006
1100 AM AST FRI SEP 08 2006
...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 405 MILES...650 KM
TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER.

Biggest one mentioned so far (for the Atlantic). It was brief, and I think Gordon's precursor might have something to do with the estimate. I'm curious to find what Carla's radius was.

[HURAKAN]