In a first article, we discovered how cyclones were born and how they were distributed on the earth in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Let's find out now where to find them in the North and in the South.
The different hurricane basins
On land, there are 7 areas of cyclone formation, divided between the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. In general, there are 84 tropical storms each year, of which about 45 reach the stage of cyclone. 70% are formed in the northern hemisphere. The northwestern Pacific is the most active area and concentrates more than 35% of the cyclones on earth. They are generally the most violent and the most devastating.
1 euros Northeast Pacific Basin
It is the 2nd most active area in the world, but also the area with the highest number of storms in a relatively small area of the ocean. The regions impacted are Mexico, Hawaii and rarely, California.
- Average number of events per year: 23
- Period of activity: May to November with a peak from August to October
2 euros North Atlantic Basin
This is the most studied basin, which includes part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The areas impacted are the United States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and Canada.
- Average number of events per year: 22
- Period of activity: June to November with a peak from August to October
3 euros Southwest Indian Ocean Basin
The cyclones concern the following states: Madagascar, Mozambique, Reunion Island, Rodrigues Island, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros (including Mayotte), Tanzania and Kenya.
- Average number of events per year: 16
- Period of activity: December to April, with an extension to May for Mauritius and the Seychelles
4 & 5 euros North Indian Ocean Basin
This area is divided into two parts, the Bay of Bengal (5) and the Arabian Sea (4). The first one is particularly active since there are 5 times more cyclones than in the Arabian Sea. The cyclones that form there are historically the most deadly. In 1970, the Bhola cyclone caused 200,000 victims. The areas concerned are India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma and Pakistan. It is quite rare that cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal impact the Arabian Sea.
- Average number of events per year: 7
- Period of Activity:
- April-June with a peak in May and September December with a peak in November (4)
- May euros November (5)
6 euros Southeast Indian Ocean Basin and Australia (from 100 E to 142 E)
The impacted areas are Australia, Indonesia, Cocos Islands and Christmas Island.
- Average number of events per year: 9
- Period of activity: December to March with a peak from January to March
7 euros South Pacific Australia euros Basin Australia and Southwest Pacific (142 E to 120 W)
This area covers Australia and Oceania.
- Average number of events per year: 11
- Period of activity: November to May with a peak from February to March
8 euros Pacific Northwest
This area includes Asia including the China Sea. Cyclones often affect China, Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines. It is the most active basin since it contains 1/3 of the world's tropical systems.
- Number of events per year: 40
- Period of activity: May to December with a peak from August to October. Beware of the rainy season in Indonesia from October to April which gives rise to violent winds.
