Calculation of the increase in the destructive potential of a storm when wind speed increases

The strongest storms driven by latent heat will become more powerful and the greater wind speeds will make them more destructive as a result of Global Warming. The destructive power of wind increases with the cube (power 3) of its speed. The increase in destructive potential (ΔDP) when a cyclone increases its wind speed from v₁ to v₂ is given by:

DP Increase Equation

Example For example, let us calculate the increase in destructive potential if a cyclone increases its wind speed from 200 km/h to 240 km/h:

The example shows that a 20% increase in wind speed increases its destructive potential by 73%. In general, the destructive potential of a storm increases rapidly as wind speed increases.

Try the Storm Destructive Potential Calculator