UNITED STATES NEWS

What makes a storm a typhoon? What’s a super typhoon?

May 24, 2023, 3:07 PM

A powerful typhoon churned over the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam and lashed the island with wind and rain.

Typhoon Mawar is the strongest to hit the U.S. territory of roughly 150,000 people since 2002. The typhoon briefly made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 4 storm at Andersen Air Force Base on the northern tip of the island.

A few commonly used weather terms and their definitions, which rely on material from the National Weather Service:

atmospheric river — Long and wide plumes of moisture that form over an ocean and flow through the sky over land.

blizzard — Wind speeds of 35 mph (56 kph) or more and considerable falling and/or blowing of snow with visibility of less than one-quarter mile (0.40 kilometer) for three or more hours.

cyclone — A storm with strong winds rotating about a moving center of low atmospheric pressure. The word sometimes is used in the United States to mean tornado and in the Indian Ocean area to mean hurricane.

derecho — A widespread and usually fast-moving straight-line windstorm. It is usually more than hundreds of miles long and more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) across.

El Nino, La Nina — El Nino is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that starts with unusually warm water in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and then changes weather worldwide. The flip side of El Nino is La Nina, which is an occasional but natural cooling of the equatorial Pacific that also changes weather worldwide.

hurricane or typhoon — A warm-core tropical cyclone in which the minimum sustained surface wind is 74 mph (119 kph) or more. Hurricanes are spawned east of the international date line. Typhoons develop west of the line. They are known as cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Australia.

microburst — Occurs when a mass of cooled air rushes downward out of a thunderstorm, hits the ground and rushes outward in all directions.

polar vortex — Usually refers to the gigantic circular upper air weather pattern in the Arctic region, enveloping the North Pole (but it can apply to the South Pole, too). It is a normal pattern that is stronger in the winter and keeps some of the coldest weather bottled up near the North Pole. The jet stream usually pens the polar vortex in and keeps it north. But at times some of the vortex can break off or move south, bringing unusually cold weather south and permitting warmer weather to creep up north.

snow squall — An intense but short-lived period of moderate to heavy snowfall, with strong winds and possible lightning.

storm surge — An abnormal rise of water above the normal tide, generated by a storm.

super typhoon — A typhoon in which the maximum sustained surface wind is 150 mph (241 kph) or more.

tornado — A violent rotating column of air forming a pendant, usually from a cumulonimbus cloud, and touching the ground. On a local scale, it is the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena. Tornadoes can appear from any direction, but in the U.S. most move from southwest to northeast. Measured on F-scale from EF0 to EF5, which considers 28 different types of damage to structures and trees. An EF2 or higher is considered a significant tornado.

tornado warning — National Weather Service issues to warn public of existing tornado.

tornado watch — Alerts public to possibility of tornado forming.

tropical depression — A tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface wind is 38 mph (61 kph) or less.

tropical storm — A warm-core tropical cyclone in which the maximum sustained surface winds range from 39 mph (63 kph) to 73 mph (117 kph).

tsunami — A great sea wave or seismic sea wave caused by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide or volcano.

nor’easter — The term used by the National Weather Service for storms that either exit or move north along the East Coast, producing winds blowing from the northeast.

waterspout — A tornado over water.

wind chill factor — A calculation that describes the combined effect of the wind and cold temperatures on exposed skin.

wind shear — A sudden shift in wind direction and/or speed.

___

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

United States News

Associated Press

Death toll from Alaska landslide hits 5 as authorities recover another body; 1 person still missing

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Authorities have recovered the body of one of two people who had been missing following a deadly landslide last week in the southeast Alaska community of Wrangell. The body of Otto Florschutz, 65, was found late Thursday afternoon and recovered from the debris, Alaska State Troopers said in a statement Friday. […]

21 minutes ago

Associated Press

A Kansas woman died in an apartment fire. Her family blames the 911 dispatch center’s mistakes

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The family of a 22-year-old woman who died in an apartment fire in Kansas’ largest city after mistakes by the 911 dispatch center believes the center has “systemic issues,” and the local firefighters union is calling for an independent investigation. Paoly Bedeski’s family in Wichita issued a statement Thursday, The Wichita […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Blue over ‘G0BLUE’: University of Michigan grad sues after losing license plate

BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A passionate University of Michigan graduate is booing the state — and suing — over the loss of his revered “G0BLUE” car license plate. Joseph Hardig III said the plate has been on family vehicles for years. But he was told it was assigned to another car owner when he […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

GOP businessman Sandy Pensler joins crowded field of Senate candidates in Michigan

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Detroit-area businessman Sandy Pensler launched his second campaign for U.S. Senate on Friday, joining close to a dozen other Republican candidates in Michigan who are hoping to flip the open seat for the first time in over two decades. Pensler lost the GOP primary for Senate in 2018 by over 9 […]

2 hours ago

George Santos is surrounded by journalists as he leaves the U.S. Capitol after his fellow members o...

Associated Press

House expels New York Rep. George Santos. It’s just the sixth expulsion in the chamber’s history

The House voted on Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York after a critical ethics report on his conduct.

2 hours ago

FILE - Rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. Frank Rocco Giustino, who skippe...

Associated Press

Lawsuits against Trump over Jan. 6 riot can move forward, appeals court rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawsuits against Donald Trump over the U.S. Capitol riot can move forward, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday, rejecting the former president’s bid to dismiss the cases accusing him of inciting the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit court knocked down Trump’s […]

3 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

Follow @KTAR923...

West Hunsaker at Morris Hall supports Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona

KTAR's Community Spotlight this month focuses on Morris Hall and its commitment to supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Arizona.

What makes a storm a typhoon? What’s a super typhoon?