Technically, hurricanes and typhoons are the same weather phenomenon — a circular storm known as a tropical cyclone.
Weather experts began using satellite technology in 1970 to accurately measure wind speeds. These are the five strongest tropical cyclones since 1970.
Hurricane Patricia, 2015: Wind speeds reached 345 kilometers per hour over the eastern Pacific, but decreased dramatically after making landfall in western Mexico. Eight people died.
Typhoon Haiyan, 2013: Haiyan killed at least 6,300 people in the Philippines, where it made landfall with wind speeds reaching 315 kilometers per hour.
Hurricane Allen, 1980: Allen’s winds reached 305 kilometers per hour as it struck the Caribbean, Mexico and Texas. Allen caused 269 fatalities. It reached Category 5 status three different times.
Typhoon Tip, 1979: Its wind speed of 305 kilometers per hour ties that of Allen, but Tip was the largest tropical storm ever recorded, with a diameter of more than 2,000 kilometers. It caused 99 deaths in Russia, Japan and the Caroline Islands.
Hurricane Wilma, 2005: The most recent major hurricane until Matthew, Wilma’s wind speeds reached 295 kilometers per hour as it churned through the Caribbean, hitting Florida and finally affecting Atlantic Canada, killing 87 people.
