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21 hurricanes and typhoons that shattered records in 2015
United States

Relationship between El Nino, La Nina and ENSO neutral years and the Pacific Ocean ACE Index. Image: Philip Klotzbach
The combination of El Niño, other natural climate cycles and global warming have supercharged this year's tropical cyclone season in the northern hemisphere to the point where all-time records have been blown away. Specifically, there have now been 21 typhoons and hurricanes in the hemisphere — all but one of which occurred in the Pacific Ocean — that have reached the most intense levels of the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 4 and 5. This beat the past record of 18, set in 2004
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Jan 3, 2016 | Weather Underground
Earth's Nine Category Five Storms of 2015: 2nd Most on Record