Typhoon Nepartak (2016)

Typhoon Nepartak (Butchoy)

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Typhoon Nepartak near peak intensity with a pinhole eye on July 6
Formed	July 2, 2016
Dissipated	July 10, 2016
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph) 1-minute sustained: 285 km/h (180 mph)
Lowest pressure	900 hPa (mbar); 26.58 inHg
Fatalities	86 total, 19 missing
Damage	$1.85 billion (2016 USD) (Preliminary total)
Areas affected	Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, East China
Part of the 2016 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Nepartak, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Butchoy, was the third most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2016. Nepartak severely impacted Taiwan and East China, with 86 confirmed fatalities. It caused 3 deaths and NT$677 million (US$21.1 million) of damage in Taiwan. Moreover, Nepartak also had disastrous effects in Fujian, China, causing at least 83 deaths and ¥9.98 billion (US$1.51 billion) of damage. After the season, total damages exceeded up to US$1.85 billion.

The first named storm and typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Nepartak developed into a tropical storm south of Guam on July 3 and ended a record-tied 199-day period without a named storm over the basin, tied with the 1997–1998 interval. Steadily tracking northwestward on July 4 and becoming a typhoon on the next day, Nepartak reached peak intensity with a pinhole eye on July 6. Nepartak started to weaken on July 7 and then crossed Taiwan later, before emerging into the Taiwan Strait and weakening into a severe tropical storm on July 8. It eventually made landfall over Fujian, China on July 9 and dissipated over land one day later.

A low-pressure area developed south of Guam on June 30. During July 2, the Japan Meteorological Agency started to monitor a broad tropical depression that had developed about 780 km (485 mi) to the southeast of Yap State. The depression was located within a favourable environment for further development with low vertical wind shear, while global computer models indicated that the system would slowly develop further as it interacted with an upper level low. During that day as the depression intensified as it moved north-westwards in a weak steering environment, while deep atmospheric convection started to wrap into the system's consolidating low level circulation centre. Early on July 3, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center initiated advisories on the system and classified it as Tropical Depression 02W. The system was subsequently named Nepartak by the JMA after it had intensified into a tropical storm, and an Ascat pass had shown that winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) existed within the storms eastern quadrant. The naming of Nepartak brought to an end a record 199 day period without a tropical storm within the Western North Pacific basin.