Typhoon Saomai in the western Pacific Ocean seen from the space shuttle Atlantis on 9th September 2000, during mission STS-106. At this time the typho

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Typhoon Saomai in the western Pacific Ocean seen from the space shuttle Atlantis on 9th September 2000, during mission STS-106. At this time the typhoon had wind speeds of up to 270 kilometres per hour. A typhoon is a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean. A tropical cyclone in the western Atlantic Ocean is known as a hurricane. It comprises hundreds of thunderstorms rotating around a central calm region (the eye, upper centre). A tropical cyclone can cause massive damage if it reaches built-up areas. Coastal areas are worst hit, as the cyclone loses force rapidly as it moves inland.

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Size: 4110px × 4150px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 106, 2000, climate, clouds, cyclone, earth, extreme, eye, hurricane, meteorology, saomai, september, severe, shuttle, space, spiral, storm, storms, sts, system, tropical, typhoon, weather