Typhoon Haiyan (or Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines) is one of the strongest tropical cyclones in history. It formed on November 3, 2013, in the western Pacific Ocean. It began east-southeast of Pohnpei. The storm later hit the Philippines with extremely high winds and a strong storm surge. It has caused major damage in the Visayas. At least 6,241 people died in the storm. The director of Meteorology at Weather Underground, Jeff Masters, said this could be the strongest tropical system to reach land. Haiyan's winds were near 195 miles an hour.