GIMME SHELTER
Japan’s Typhoon Hagibis – how powerful was it and what are the worst ever storms in history?
TYPHOON Hagibis has killed at least 42 people as it wreaked havoc across Japan in the worst storm to hit the country in recent history.
The super-storm is currently category 5, but what does that mean? Read on to find out about super storms, including the most deadly.
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How powerful is category five storm, Hurricane Hagibis?
Hagibis was categorised as a terrifying category 5 storm and has been the worst typhoon to hit Japan in recent history and was dramatically described as the “most powerful storm in the world” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US.
It has already disrupted the Rugby World Cup, forcing England’s showdown with France to be cancelled.
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A category five storm is characterised when it hits speeds of over 157mph.
This is according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which was devised in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson.
It was introduced to the public in 1973 as a means of communicating the danger of upcoming storms so that populations could better prepare.
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What are the worst superstorms?
The world has experienced some horrific superstorms.
The largest typhoons are called super typhoons, which means a storm that has sustained winds of more than 150 miles per hour.
Tragically, typhoons and cyclones tend to cause more deaths than their hurricane counterparts - especially when they hit an underdeveloped area.
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Here's the top ten deadliest:
10. Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar in 2008 - 138,366 deaths
9. Cyclone 02B, Bangladesh in 1991 - 138,866 deaths
8. Super Typhoon Nina, China in 1975 - 171,000 deaths
7. Chittagong, Bangladesh in 1897 - 175,000 deaths
6. Great Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh in 1867 - 200,000 deaths
5. Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh in 1584 - 200,000 deaths
4. Coringa, India in 1839 - 300,000 deaths
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3. Haiphong Typhoon, Vietnam in 1881 - 300,000 deaths
2. Hooghly River Cyclone, India and Bangladesh in 1737 - 300,000 deaths
1. Great Bhola Cyclone, Bangladesh in 1970 - 300,000-500,000 deaths
Super Typhoon Hagibis is fast approaching Japan with disruption to the Rugby World Cup and Japanese F1 Grand Prix threatened
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