Patricia tops list of world's strongest storms

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Hurricane Patricia: 5 things to know in 1 minute Hurricane Patricia is the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. Tens of thousands of people were being evacuated as it bears down on Mexico's Pacific Coast.

Hurricane Patricia is the world's strongest hurricane or typhoon since at least 1970, when accurate satellite measurements of wind speeds began, according to data gathered by meteorologist and hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University.

Another expert, WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue, said that storms before the satellite era can't be accurately ranked because of the poor quality of the historical records.

Hurricanes and typhoons are the same kind of storms, known collectively as tropical cyclones. Hurricanes form in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific, while typhoons form in the western Pacific Ocean.

The world's top 5 strongest hurricanes and typhoons since 1970, based on sustained wind speeds:

1. 2015: Hurricane Patricia (Eastern Pacific). Patricia reached a top wind speed of 201 mphon Oct. 23, 2015, as the storm took aim at Mexico's western coast. Catastrophic damage is expected.

2. 2013: Typhoon Haiyan (Western Pacific).Deadly and destructive Haiyan had winds of 195 mph as it slammed into the Philippines in November 2013. It was the deadliest typhoon in recorded Philippine history, leaving more than 7,300 people dead or missing, primarily from its massive 15- to 19-foot storm surge that demolished and swept away everything in its path.

3. 1980: Hurricane Allen (Atlantic). With winds of 190 mph, Allen remains the strongest storm ever (as measured by wind speed) in the Atlantic basin. Although it weakened to a Category 3 as it made landfall in Texas, the storm still killed over 260 people in the Caribbean, U.S. and Mexico.

4. 1979: Typhoon Tip(Western Pacific). Tip's maximum wind speed was 189 mph on Oct. 12, 1979. The typhoon has the world record for lowest barometric pressure (25.69 inches) ever recorded in a tropical cyclone. (In addition to wind speeds, a storm's intensity can be measured by barometric pressure. The lower the number, the more powerful it is.) It's also the largest tropical cyclone on record (based on its diameter of 1,350 miles). After weakening to a Category 1 typhoon, the storm hit Japan, killing dozens of people in the resulting floods.

5. 2005:Hurricane Wilma(Atlantic). The most recent major hurricane (Category 3 and higher) to strike the U.S., Wilma's wind speeds topped out at 184 mph in the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 19, 2005. With a barometric pressure of 26.05 inches, Wilma is the most intense storm on record in the Western Hemisphere. Wilma killed 87 people in the Caribbean, Mexico and U.S.