Typhoon: Was it strongest ever?
Deadly Haiyan a monster, but it remains unclear whether it was the most-intense on record.
The death toll from the mammoth typhoon that devastated the central Philippines should far exceed that of the deadliest U.S. hurricanes, Katrina, in 2005; Lake Okeechobee, 1928, and Galveston, 1900.
By any measure, it will be certified as one of the strongest cyclones since anyone has been keeping track.
However, reports that Haiyan was the strongest cyclone on record might have been premature.
As Jeff Masters, meteorologist at the popular Weatherunderground.com site pointed out, the estimate of 195 m.p.h. peak winds at landfall was based on satellite measurements.
"We have no ground level or hurricane-hunter measurements to verify this estimate," Masters wrote in a blog post. He added that while wind estimates might be valid over water, land friction typically knocks 15 percent off the peak winds.
"The problem here is everything is estimated by satellite," said Dan Kottlowski, a meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc. "It's open to subjectivity."
Further confusing the wind-estimate picture are the lower estimates by both the Japanese and Philippine weather agencies, which uses the figures for 10-second sustained winds. The 195 m.p.h. estimate was for a 1-second wind.
Kottlowski said that in gauging strength he preferred to look at the central barometric pressure – the lower the pressure, the deeper the storm.
By that measure, Typhoon Tip, in 1979, would remain No. 1 with a minimum reading of 25.69. The lowest estimate he has seen for Haiyan was 26.13; still one mighty storm, and a monstrous one at landfall.
For perspective, when Sandy made landfall in New Jersey, its central pressure was 27.93, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Another complication: Aircraft reconnaissance was available to take measurements for Tip, but not for Haiyan.
Regardless of whether it is declared the strongest, Haiyan could well become one of the most-studied storms in history, said Kottlowski.
And far and away, one of the most tragic.
One local note, the Red Cross reports that more than 300 people have phoned the agency's Philadelphia call center regarding loved ones in the Philippines.
The local number is 215-299-4889, or 800-RED-CROSS elsewhere.