"The number of typhoons this year (2010) could turn out to be the lowest on record, which experts theorize could be a result of the El Nino phenomenon lasting until this spring and the summer's powerful high-pressure system in the Pacific.
As of Saturday, 14 typhoons — tropical cyclones generated in the Northwest Pacific or the South China Sea north of the equator with a minimum wind velocity of 61.9 kph — have been spawned this year.
The Meteorological Agency, which has been keeping statistics on typhoons since 1951, said
- the lowest number — 16 — was in 1998.
The average per year between 1971 and 2000 was 26.7, while the
- most on record is 39 in 1967.
Typhoons can cause floods and other types of damage, but they also contribute to securing water resources.
The sea east of the Philippines is the chief generation zone for typhoons. Usually, 15 to 16 develop in the area each year,
- but there have been only five so far this year.
The agency believes the well-developed Pacific high that brought this summer's heat wave has weakened the atmosphere's convective activity in the sea, nipping the development of rain clouds, which help produce typhoons.
El Nino can similarly work to dampen the air's convective activity in the sea near the Philippines, and the latest phenomenon is believed to have contributed to decreasing the number of typhoons this year, agency officials said.
Simulations run by the agency show that progress in global warming will reduce the number of typhoons but make each one more intense."
Related: 12/29/10, "Weather bureau reports record low number of typhoons in 2010," CNA English News, Focus Taiwan
This report also claims 'global warming' is the likely cause of fewer storms.
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