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The Most Intense Storm Ever Measured

October 11, 2010 at 7:25PM

In 1979, the amazing life cycle of Super Typhoon Tip spanned from Oct. 4-19,and this mighty storm became the most intense tropical cyclone ever measured.After an unremarkable beginning near the Mariana Islands, Tip began to deepenexplosively after Oct. 9. A two-day pressure drop of 92 millibars, or 2.72inches of merWeather HeadlinesMon, 11 Oct 2010 14:18:24 ESTIWS0Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:36:06 ESTAtlantic Hurricane Season So FarThe season opener, Hurricane Alex, proved to be one of the most eventful overland, both in the United States and in Mexico, site of Alex's landfall.Flooding rain accounted for the storm's primary impact.

Impact from a later storm, Tropical Storm Hermine, was directed mostly uponTexas, heavy rain and flooding once again having greatest impact.

However, two aspects of the season stand out. For one, African tropical wavesbred most of the year's storms. Of these, more than half (eight) became namedstorms over the eastern or central Atlantic Ocean. Such storms are sometimesknown as "Cape Verde" storms.

Another aspect of named storms this year is a tendency for them to spend most,if not all, of their lives over open water. Only Bonnie, barely a tropicalstorm, and Hermine held named storm status while over land of the lower 48states.

Two long-track Category 4 storms, hurricanes Earl and Igor, did culminate withmajor weather impact for Atlantic Canada. Igor lashed isolated Bermuda as aCategory 1 hurricane.

Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Jim Andrews

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