Typhoon Watch Philippines

 

 

The Classification of Intensity of Typhoons 

The intensity of a tropical cyclone is classified by the maximum sustained wind (10-min mean) according to World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The following table summarizes categories for tropical cyclones. Here "Tropical Depression" is a tropical cyclone weaker than a typhoon, and a tropical cyclone stronger than a typhoon, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classification has four levels (previously five) and international classification has three levels. 

Note that the definition of "typhoon" is different between the Japanese standard and the international standard. A tropical storm with the wind speed of more than 34 kt is called a "typhoon" in Japan, while in the international standard, that with the wind speed of more than 64 kt is called a "typhoon." Tropical cyclones in the world are called by different names in each basin, such as a "typhoon" and a "hurricane," but the standard to be called by such names is the same : more than 64 kt of wind.