Tropical cyclones in popular culture

The appearances of tropical cyclones in popular culture spans many genres of media. It includes both fictional tropical cyclones, [Depending on their location and strength, tropical cyclones are referred to by various other names, such as "hurricane", "typhoon", "tropical storm", "cyclonic storm", and "tropical depression".] and real ones used as the basis for a fictional work, and has proven to be of enough interest for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA") to maintain a webpage on the topic. [http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/J4.html NOAA FAQ: What fictional books, plays, and movies have been written involving tropical cyclones?] ]

Purpose in fiction and literature

Although many forms of natural disaster appear in fiction and literature, tropical cyclones serve a number of useful literary functions because they are both extraordinarily powerful and, to those who have some experience with them, their occurrence can be portended several days in advance. The NOAA page notes that:

The strength of the tropical cyclone has made it a device by which authors explain the upending of characters' lives, and even transformations of the personalities of those who live through such an event. Their somewhat hazy predictability also makes them a useful MacGuffin, an impetus for characters to set to action. In some instances, the storm provides cover for characters to engage in covert behavior.

Early history of tropical cyclones in literature

One of the earliest uses of a tropical cyclone as a plot device occurs in a William Shakespeare play, "The Tempest", first performed in 1611 or 1612. There, a storm (raised by the sorcerer Prospero) blows key characters to the island to which Prospero had been exiled many years before. The theme is said to have been inspired by Shakespeare's knowledge of a real-life hurricane which had caused the shipwreck of the "Sea Venture" in 1609 on the islands of Bermuda, while sailing toward Virginia.

Edgar Allan Poe, in his 1841 story, "A Descent into the Maelström", has the main character describe how "the most terrible hurricane that ever came out of the heavens" forced the boat manned by himself and his brothers into a gigantic whirlpool. [.] The trauma of surviving the storm and the whirlpool (and seeing the death of his brothers) is asserted to have a profound effect on the character, causing his hair to turn white. However, since the story is asserted to occur off the coast of Norway, it is unlikely that the event described could have fallen within the formal definition of a hurricane, as such storms form almost exclusively in the Maritime Tropical air masses of tropical regions of the globe.

Joseph Conrad, in his acclaimed 1903 book "Typhoon", uses a tropical cyclone as a more direct element of the story, centering the plot on a ship captain's stubborn insistence on going into the heart of such a storm.

Fictional tropical cyclones

Works predominantly focused on the occurrence of a tropical cyclone

Books and plays

*(Unnamed) "A High Wind in Jamaica" (U.S. title: "The Innocent Voyage"). In this 1929 novel by Richard Hughes, horrific incidents are described from a child's point of view, beginning with the destruction of the family's house by a hurricane. "If Emily had known this was a Hurricane, she would doubtless have been far more impressed, for the word was full of romantic terrors...." [Richard Hughes, "A High Wind in Jamaica" (The Modern Library, 1932), p. 60.]
*(Unnamed) "In Hazard", a 1938 novel by Richard Hughes. A single-screw turbine cargo steamer encounters a hurricane off the coast of Cuba. Reviewers compared it to Joseph Conrad's "Typhoon," admired the weather descriptions, complained of "puppet-like" characters.Fact|date=May 2008
*Maria: The name of the storm in George R. Stewart's bestselling 1941 novel, "Storm." Although not, strictly speaking, a hurricane, the storm is highly notable for receiving a woman's name, the first widely-known example of such personification. In the novel, a character referred to only as "the Junior Meteorologist" gives storms women's names as a private mental game. Stewart said that he was inspired by reading that "a certain meteorologist had even felt storms to be so personal that he had given them names." Stewart's book in turn inspired Lerner and Loewe's song "They Call the Wind Maria." It is widely thought to have influenced U.S. Navy meteorologists, who gave female names to Pacific tropical storms during World War II. (Not to be confused with a real Hurricane Maria in 2005) [George R. Stewart. "Storm". ISBN 0803291353]

Television

*Hurricane Eduardo: Hit the United States east coast, particularly Florida, in "", and later merged with a destructive non-tropical system near Washington, D.C. The resulting storm was more powerful than either of the other two. The NOAA website sums up the somewhat shoddy science as follows: "Falling chunks of the mesosphere combine with urban heat islands to spawn global spanning superstorms."
*Hurricane Gill: Hit Miami on a November 9, 1991 multiple crossover episode of "The Golden Girls", "Empty Nest", and "Nurses", forcing characters from each show to take refuge in the locale of the other two shows.Fact|date=May 2008
*Super Typhoon Viper: a massive storm makes a direct hit on Hong Kong causing death and destruction in the Discovery Channel series 'Perfect Disaster'.Fact|date=May 2008
*(Unnamed) The made-for-BBC movie "Superstorm", starring Tom Sizemore and Nicola Stephenson, involves efforts of scientists to combat the larger, more devastating hurricanes spawned by global warming.

Music

*Jimmy Buffett has penned a number of songs describing the effects of unnanmed tropical cyclones. In his A1A song "Trying to Reason with the Hurricane Season" he describes a storm in the Gulf Stream with winds greater than 60 mph. The storm produces rough seas and grey skies in southeastern Florida. [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_a1a.php] ] In "Nobody Speaks to the Captain No More" on his Floridays album, a fugitive captain loses his mind during a hurricane when a coconut hits him in the head. [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_floridays.php] ] Buffett describes a sailor who goes through several hurricanes and typhoons in his Christmas Island song "A Sailor's Christmas"." [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_christmas.php] ] Finally, several hurricanes affect the fictional Caribbean island of Kinja in the Jimmy Buffett song "Don't Stop the Carnival." [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_dstc.php] ]
*(unnamed): Hugh Prestwood dreams of a hurricane in his song "Savannah Fare You Well." The hurricane produces heavy rainfall which kills the songwriter. [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_fsotw.php] ]

Works in which a tropical cyclone is a key event

Books and plays

*(Unnamed) A hurricane striking the South Carolina setting is a major turning point of the 1925 novel, "Porgy", and its later adaptation, the subsequent 1935 opera, "Porgy and Bess", as well as the 1959 movie version. The storm causes the death of key characters, causing a sudden change in the direction of the story.
*(Unnamed) "The Cay". A pivotal point of the story involves the hurricane that strikes the small island where the two main characters are marooned. [Theodore Taylor. "The Cay". ISBN 0440416639] Phillip, a prejudiced white child, is stranded with the elderly black Timothy. The pair deals with a hurricane that passes across the island by lashing themselves to a sturdy palm. The storm injures the eighty year old Timothy, who slowly dies afterwards.
*Cyclone Alpha: In the 1972 novel (Set in 1959) "The Moonraker Mutiny" by Anthony Trew, a ship's captain drunkenly applies his experience of typhoons to an Indian Ocean cyclone. As a result the ship sails into the heart of the storm and is crippled, triggering the mutiny of the title.Fact|date=May 2008
*Amanda: The name of the storm in Clive Cussler's "Raise the Titanic". The Soviet Navy used the storm as cover to board the newly raised ship in an attempt to sabotage the retrieval of a rare (fictional) mineral, byzanium for use in an anti-ballistic missile defense system. [ [http://www.raisethetitanic.com/novel/concordance.html Un-Official Raise The Titanic! Novel-Concordance Page] ]
*Hurricane Ben: The name of the storm in G.M. Hagues "Ghost Beyond Earth". This hurricane prevents NASA from sending a space shuttle to the crew of Space Station Freedom until the end of the novel.Fact|date=May 2008
*(several): "Hurricane Punch", a comedic thriller by Tim Dorsey in which a misanthropic serial killer and his bumbling partner-in-crime take an impromptu storm-chasing trek across Florida with a kidnapped journalist in tow.

Television

*Hurricane Barbara: Hit Springfield in "The Simpsons" episode "Hurricane Neddy." Destroyed Ned Flanders's house, picked up Barney Gumble's Bowlerama and dumped it on a nearby hill. Fact|date=May 2008
*(Unnamed)- Only Mentioned in the Simpsons episode "Hurricane Neddy", in 1978. Blew down Hall of Records, never officially confirmed.Fact|date=May 2008
*Hurricane Eve: Hit Miami, Florida on the premiere episode of "Invasion". Believed to be cover for extraterrestrial activity. Had a pressure of 936 mbar; according to "TV Guide", a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The NOAA website notes that " [t] he series was cancelled after its initial season, with no resolution to the question, 'Does global warming cause more squid people?'"
*Tropical Storm Renee: Shown in the "Seinfeld" episode "The Checks." Struck before 1981, experienced by umbrella salesmen Teddy Padillac and Jerry Seinfeld. The storm dropped heavy rainfall, resulting in good business for the two salesmen. [ [http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheChecks.html Seinfeld scripts: "The Checks"] ]
*Hurricane Robert: Shown on the "Family Guy" episode "One If By Clam, Two If By Sea." Hit Quahog, Rhode Island with downed power lines, several damaged buildings, and downed trees and brush. Fact|date=May 2008
*Hurricane Rupaul: Massive storm headed for Quahog in the "Family Guy" episode "The Perfect Castaway". High waves when it swept the characters out to sea.Fact|date=May 2008
*Hurricane Anthony: A couple trying to escape this hurricane strikes a man with their car in the "" episode Hurricane Anthony.Fact|date=May 2008

Theatrical films

*(Unnamed): In the 1948 film, "Key Largo", gangsters who have taken over a small hotel in the title locale are delayed in their planned getaway by a hurricane. In one exchange, a gang member asks another, "what all happens in a hurricane?" to which the other replies, "The wind blows so hard the ocean gets up on its hind legs and walks right across the land." Later, the leader of the gang is shaken by the presence of the storm, leading Frank McCloud, the protagonist of the film, to say, "You don't like it, do you Rocco, the storm? Show it your gun, why don't you? If it doesn't stop, shoot it."
*Hurricane Jezebel: Hit New Jersey, in the Brian De Palma film, "Snake Eyes", on the night of a prize fight.Fact|date=May 2008
*Hurricane Noelani: Massive hurricane is the East Pacific in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". It never made landfall, but was called the strongest hurricane on record.Fact|date=May 2008
*(Unnamed): The 1999 film "Virus" had a tugboat crew seek refuge during a typhoon onboard a Russian research ship only to find it occupied by aliens who view humanity as a virus that they try to exterminate.
*(Unnamed, but referred to as Typhoon Eighteen) Strikes Japan during the events of Welcome to Pia Carrot: Sayaka's Love Story. Causes the title character to develop a fever and triggers waves that sweep the main characters into the ocean.Fact|date=May 2008
*The Perfect Storm
*Twister - Not strictly a film about an hurricane. But close being about Tornados which are simelar.

Games

*Hurricane Hermione: At the beginning of , this hurricane was forecast to hit Vice City in 1986, forcing officials to close all bridges, keeping the player confined to the city's eastern-most island. As the game progresses, the bridge closures are lifted as it is announced that the hurricane has missed Vice City.Fact|date=May 2008
*Hurricane Gordy: At the beginning of the prequel of , namely , this hurricane was forecast to hit Vice City in summer 1984, with officials closing off all bridges, keeping the player confined to the city's western-most island. After a while the bridge closures are again lifted.Fact|date=May 2008

Fictional accounts of real tropical cyclones

Works predominantly focused on the occurrence of a tropical cyclone

Books

* (Galveston Hurricane of 1900): Paul Quarrington's novel "Galveston" is based on the events surrounding the hurricane.Fact|date=May 2008
* (1991 Halloween Nor'easter): Sebastian Junger's novel "The Perfect Storm" is about the crew of the Andrea Gail during the storm.Fact|date=May 2008

Television

* (Cyclone Tracy): The Nine Network's dramatic miniseries "Cyclone Tracy" is based on the events surrounding the cyclone.Fact|date=May 2008
* (Hurricane Katrina): "K-Ville" is an American television drama centered on policing New Orleans after the hurricane.Fact|date=May 2008

Theatrical films

* (1991 Halloween Nor'easter): The film adaptation of Sebastian Junger's "The Perfect Storm is about the about the crew of the Andrea Gail during the storm.Fact|date=May 2008

Music

* (Cyclone Tracy): Bill Cate's charity song "Santa Never made it into Darwin", in 1974 to raise money for the relief after the disaster.Fact|date=May 2008
* (Cyclone Tracy): Hoodoo Gurus' song "Tojo", from the 1984 album Stoneage Romeos, personifying Tracy as callously justifying hitting Darwin(city) by the fact that the city was spared from Japanese invasion during World War II.Fact|date=May 2008
* (Hurricane Katrina): Jimmy Buffett's song "Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On" describes the effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans and the need to move on after a disaster. [ [http://www.margaritaville.com/lyrics_weather.php] ]
* (Hurricane Katrina): Green Day and U2's charity song, "The Saints Are Coming" in 2006 to raise money for the relief after the disaster. This song was originally sung by The Skids, who first recorded the song in 1978.Fact|date=May 2008

Works in which a tropical cyclone is a key event

Theatrical films

* (Hurricane Carmen): A pivotal scene in "Forrest Gump" occurs when Gump and his former commanding officer, Lieutenant Dan Taylor, ride out the storm in Gump's shrimping boat; having been the only such boat to remain at sea, theirs is the only one not wrecked by the storm, allowing an unwitting Gump to monopolize the shrimping industry and become a millionaire. During the storm, Lieutenant Dan - in an alcoholic depression since the loss of his legs in the Vietnam War - challenges God, who is embodied in the fury of the hurricane. After surviving the event, Lieutenant Dan finally makes peace with his fate.Fact|date=May 2008

Real tropical cyclones impacting popular culture

*Hurricane Iniki (1992) - Filmmaker Steven Spielberg and 130 cast and crew members of the movie "Jurassic Park", were preparing for the final day of on-location shooting on the Hawaiian Island of Kauaokinai when this storm hit. They safely rode out the hurricane in a hotel.cite web|author=Al Kamen|year=1992|title=Hawaii Hurricane Devastates Kauai|publisher=Washington Post|accessdate=2006-03-13|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/hurricane/poststories/iniki.htm]
*Hurricane Wilma (2005) - Wilma struck the Bahamas during the filming of "". The service roads were destroyed and several trailers turned over. The two principal ships, the "Black Pearl" and "The Flying Dutchman", were relatively undamaged and the cast and crew were evacuated on the Friday before the hurricane hit.Fact|date=May 2008

References

ee also

*Hurricanes