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Subject : C3) Aren't big tropical cyclones also
intense tropical cyclones?
Contributed by Chris Landsea
No. There is very little association between intensity (either
measured by maximum sustained winds or by central
pressure) and size (either measured by radius of 15 m/s [gale force,
30 kts, 35 mph] winds or the radius of the outer closed isobar)
(Weatherford and Gray 1988).
Hurricane Andrew is a good example of a very intense tropical cyclone
(922 mb central pressure and 64 m/s (125 kt, 145 mph) sustained winds
at landfall in Florida) that was also relatively small (15 m/s winds
extended out only about 150 km [90 mi] from the center).
Weatherford and Gray (1988) also showed that changes
of both intensity and size are essentially independent of one another.
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