Haiyan's True Intensity and Death Toll Still Unknown

The Philippines ‪National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council‬ estimates 3432 people were killed, and the U.N. puts this number at 4,460. This makes Haiyan the 2nd deadliest Philippines tropical cyclone in history, behind Tropical Storm Thelma of 1991, which killed 5081 - 8165 people. Damage is estimated at $12 - $15 billion, or about 5% of the Philippines' GDP...

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated that Haiyan's central pressure was 895 mb at landfall, which would make it the 12th strongest tropical cyclone in world history (by pressure). We now have pressure measurements from Haiyan's second landfall in Tacloban...These readings suggest that Haiyan had a pressure gradient of about 4 mb per mile...Haiyan could have had an 888 mb central pressure.