 The strongest storm on record did happen in the Pacific in both size and wind speeds. It was Typhoon Tip in October 1979. Given what is known about the physics of tropical cyclones, is there a natural upward limit to how strong these storms could become? There is an upward limit. In fact, I was the one who discovered it theoretically more than 30 years ago and published it in Nature magazine. But that upper limit is a function of the climate state.