Tai fun - Chinese word meaning 'Great Wind'
Zeb is thought to have killed 100 people in the Philippines where the main island of Luzon was declared a disaster zone. Winds of up to 160 mph were recorded as some 4,000 homes were destroyed.
At least 20 were feared dead in Taiwan where houses collapsed under landslides caused by the extremely heavy rain.
As Zeb moves further north, and away from the warmer southern waters, its energy is decreasing and wind speeds over Japan are unlikely to rise much over 60mph.
The worst may not yet be over - a new storm, Tropical Storm Babs, is developing to the east of the Philippines and can be seen at the bottom of the satellite image above.
Winter weather warnings for the UK
The first severe winter weather warnings were issued by the UK Meteorological Office on October 16th. Warnings of high winds and the first heavy winter snowfalls went out for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Northern England. Southern England was warned of strong winds and heavy rain leading to flooding.
Snow fell as far south as the Peak District of Derbyshire and the high winds brought down power cables, cutting off power supplies to thousands of homes.
The poor conditions brought a spate of road accidents - including one in Northern Ireland in which three men were killed.
Mediterranean climate for the UK?
A report from the UK Department of the Environment has suggested that temperatures across the UK will rise by an average of 3.5°C during the next century. Such a rise would mean that the north would become wetter and the south hotter and drier, becoming more like the Mediterranean style of climate with 'warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers".
The report (Climate Change Scenarios for the UK) was prepared by scientists working at the Bracknell based Hadley Centre for Climatic Studies and the University of East Anglia. Autumn conditions are likely to become stormier (the 'Great Storm' of 1987 occured in October) and overall weather patterns may become less predictable.
Consequences of the hotter, drier conditions in the south could be severe. Over recent years, most areas have seen hose-pipe and other bans in force to conserve water stocks in drought conditions. Heavy rainfall over the past year has largely allowed ground water stocks to recover, but prolonged periods of dry conditions could mean major problems for the water supply industry.
The rising temperatures are also bringing about a rise in average sea levels. For southern England this is particularly serious where large areas of land are at low level with only limited sea defences. In addition, the UK is gently tilting - with the South-East settling down by a few cm. With rising sea levels and the prospect of more stormy conditions, there is now considerably concern about protecting the coastline and coastal communities along the south and east coastal regions.
Atlantic hurricane season 'most active this century'
The Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane season has been extremely active over the past month. At one stage, on September 25th, four Atlantic hurricanes were active at the same time - Georges, Ivan, Jeanne and Karl - the first time that this has been observed this century.
Georges was by far the most deadly - leaving a trail of destruction in its wake and causing the deaths of more than 300 people. Its formation and passage is described by the US Weather Service:
Georges formed in the far eastern Atlantic from a tropical wave
early on the 15th. The system was upgraded to a tropical storm
on the morning of the 16th. By late afternoon on the 17th...
satellite imagery indicated that Georges developed an eye and was
upgraded to hurricane status. Georges moved on a general west to
west-northwest course at 15 to 20 mph for the next several days.
during this period...Georges is estimated to have reached a peak
intensity of 150 mph...category 4 ...and a minimum central pressure
of 938 mb on the evening of the 19th while located about 420 miles
east of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. Georges first of many
landfalls occurred at Antigua in the Leeward Islands late on the
20th. After moving near or over other islands of the northeast
Caribbean including the U.S. Virgin Islands...it then hit Puerto
Rico on the evening of the 21st with estimated maximum winds
of 115 mph...category 3. Georges weakened very little while over
Puerto Rico and was even stronger when it made landfall in the
Dominican Republic on the afternoon of the 22nd with estimated
maximum winds of 120 mph...also category 3. Georges weakened after
crossing the mountainous terrain of Hispaniola and made landfall
in eastern Cuba on the afternoon of the 23rd with estimated maximum
winds of 75 mph...category 1.
The hurricane continued along the northern coast of Cuba for most of
the 24th. thereafter...Georges moved into the Florida Straits early
on the 25th and re-intensified making landfall near Key West Florida
on mid-morning of the 25th with estimated maximum winds of 105 mph..
category 2. Georges continued on a general west-northwest to
northwest track on the 26th and 27th...turning to a north-northwest
heading and gradually slowing down as it approached the coast of the
central Gulf of Mexico. Georges made its final landfall near Biloxi,
Mississippi as a category 2 hurricane. then...Georges meandered and
weakened to a tropical storm on the afternoon of the 28th. Georges
was downgraded to a tropical depression by mid-morning on the 29th
while located about 35 miles north-northeast of Mobile, Alabama.
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