Typhoon Haikui (2012)

Typhoon Haikui

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 1 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Typhoon Haikui near peak intensity approaching Eastern China on August 7
Formed	August 1, 2012
Dissipated	August 11, 2012
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 120 km/h (75 mph) 1-minute sustained: 120 km/h (75 mph)
Lowest pressure	965 hPa (mbar); 28.5 inHg
Fatalities	105 total
Damage	$2.09 billion (2012 USD)
Areas affected	Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, China
Part of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Haikui was the third tropical cyclone in the span of a week to impact Mainland China during late July and early August 2012. The name Haikui, which replaces Longwang, means sea anemone in Chinese.

Late on July 31, a tropical disturbance formed within a large monsoon trough. On August 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) mentioned the system as a tropical depression southeast of Iwo Jima, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert late on the same day. Late on August 2, the JTWC upgraded it to a tropical depression, before the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical storm and named it Haikui early on the next day. Early on August 4, the JTWC upgraded Haikui to a tropical storm. On August 5, the JMA upgraded Haikui to a severe tropical storm when it was located north-northeast of Kume Island. The JTWC upgraded Haikui to a category 1 typhoon Late on August 6, as it developed an eye. At 12Z on August 7, the JMA upgraded Haikui to a typhoon, but the JTWC downgraded it to a tropical storm simultaneously. Later, Typhoon Haikui made landfall over Xiangshan County in Zhejiang, China at 19:20 UTC (03:20 CST on August 8).Early on August 8, the JMA downgraded Haikui to a severe tropical storm, when the JTWC issued the final warning. Soon, the JMA downgraded Haikui to a tropical storm.

Although located hundreds of kilometres away from the Philippines, the southerly flow from Typhoon Haikui enhanced the southwest monsoon across much of Luzon. As a result, widespread heavy rains impacted regions still recovering from deadly floods triggered by Typhoon Saola less than a week earlier. During a 72‑hour span from 6–8 August, 1,007 mm (39.6 in) of rain fell in parts of Metro Manila, leading local media to compare the event to Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, which killed 464 in the city. Some of the most severe flooding took place along the Marikina River, which swelled to near-record levels. During the afternoon of 7 August, the river reached a height of 20.6 m (68 ft), well beyond the flood level of 16 m (52 ft) and about 3 m (9.8 ft) below the record level set during Typhoon Ketsana. About 70 percent of Metro Manila were affected by flooding. Some areas were submerged in up to 3 m (9.8 ft). Due to the expanding floods, officials in the city evacuated more than 23,000 residents from flood-prone areas and relocated them to shelters set up across the area. According to a reporter from the British Broadcasting Corporation, many residents were reluctant to leave their belongings behind, and some traveled back through flood waters to retrieve their belongings. Officials feared the flooding could worsen as the La Mesa Dam continued to overflow by then. At least nine people were killed and four others were injured in a landslide in Quezon City.