Typhoon Noul (2015)

Typhoon Noul (Dodong)

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Typhoon Noul at peak intensity shortly before landfall on May 10
Formed	May 2, 2015
Dissipated	May 16, 2015
(Extratropical after May 12)
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph) 1-minute sustained: 260 km/h (160 mph)
Lowest pressure	920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg
Fatalities	2 indirect
Damage	$23.6 million (2015 USD)
Areas affected	Caroline Islands, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan
Part of the 2015 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Noul (pronounced [no.ul]), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Dodong, was a relatively small but powerful tropical cyclone that affected several areas but caused minor damage. The sixth named storm and third typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Noul formed as a tropical depression over the eastern Caroline Islands on May 2, 2015. It moved generally to the west and west-northwest, gradually intensifying into a tropical storm and later typhoon. On May 9, Noul began rapid deepening as it developed a well-defined eye. Early the next day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated peak 10 minute sustained winds of 205 km/h (125 mph), while the American-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated peak 1 minute winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), equivalent to Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Noul struck northeastern Luzon in the Philippines at that intensity and greatly weakened. After passing east of Taiwan, the typhoon accelerated to the northeast and weakened due to unfavorable conditions. On May 12, Noul became extratropical south of Japan, and the remnants continued to the northeast for several days, dissipating on May 16.

The typhoon first affected Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia, bringing 296 mm (11.65 in) of rainfall and causing about US$100,000 in damage. Noul forced 3,803 people to evacuate in the Philippines and stranded thousands others due to travel cancellations. Two people died while preparing for the storm. Its effects were limited to two provinces, amounting to ₱16.3 million (US$362,000) in damage. Later, heavy rainfall in Taiwan helped ease water restrictions. The storm caused heavy crop damage in the Miyako District of Okinawa, totaling ¥2.8 billion (US$23.2 million).