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Subject: E6) Which tropical cyclone lasted the longest?

Contributed by Neal Dorst

Hurricane/Typhoon John lasted 31 days as it traveled both the Northeast and Northwest Pacific basins during August and September 1994. (It formed in the Northeast Pacific, reached hurricane force there, moved across the dateline and was renamed Typhoon John, and then finally recurved back across the dateline and renamed Hurricane John again.) Hurricane Ginger was a tropical cyclone for 28 days in the North Atlantic Ocean back in 1971.
It should be noted that prior to the weather satellite era (1961) many tropical cyclones' life cycles could be underestimated.

Atlantic Hurricanes
RANK	No. of DAYS	NAME and YEAR
1	27.75	STORM 3 OF 1899
2	27.00	GINGER 1971
3	24.75	INGA 1969
4	22.00	KYLE 2002
5	20.75	CARRIE 1957 STORM 9 OF 1893
7	20.25	INEZ 1966
8	19.75	ALBERTO 2000
Basin Average	6.16

East Pacific Hurricanes
RANK	No. of DAYS	NAME and YEAR
1	30.00	JOHN 1994
2	24.50	TINA 1992
3	24.00	PAKA 1997
4	21.50	IOKE 2006
5	20.50	KEONI 1993 BORIS 1984
Basin Average	5.91

West Pacific Typhoons
RANK	No. of DAYS	NAME and YEAR
1	26.00	PAGE 1990
2	24.50	RITA 1972
3	24.00	PAKA 1997
4	21.75	ORSON 1996 VERNE 1994
6	21.25	WAYNE 1986
7	20.75	OWEN 1990
Basin Average	7.41

Last Updated January 26, 2010

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