Typhoon Tembin (2012)

Typhoon Tembin (Igme)

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 4 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Typhoon Tembin shortly after peak intensity on August 21, 2012.
Formed	August 17, 2012
Dissipated	September 1, 2012
(Extratropical after August 30, 2012)
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 150 km/h (90 mph) 1-minute sustained: 220 km/h (140 mph)
Lowest pressure	950 hPa (mbar); 28.05 inHg
Fatalities	10 total
Damage	$8.25 million (2012 USD)
Areas affected	Philippines, Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea
Part of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Tembin, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Igme, was a strong tropical cyclone which unusually approached Taiwan twice. Tembin, which means Libra in Japanese, was the eighth typhoon and the fourteenth named storm of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season. After making landfall over the southern tip of Taiwan late on August 23, Tembin weakened but regained strength in the South China Sea, looping before making a second landfall on southern Taiwan as a tropical storm on August 27. However, the system did not restrengthen in the East China Sea, and made landfall over South Korea on August 30 before becoming extratropical.

On August 16, a tropical disturbance formed southeast of Taiwan. On August 17, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) mentioned it as a tropical depression, as a subtropical ridge pushed the system southwards. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system late on August 18; early the next day, the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm and named it Tembin, and the JTWC upgraded it to a tropical depression. Soon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also upgraded it to a tropical depression and named it Igme. On August 20, Tembin entered a period of explosive intensification, on encountering warm and deep Oceanic heat content. The JMA first noted this, and immediately upgraded Tembin into a Typhoon. Only 3 hours later, the JTWC pointed out that an eye of radius 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) has formed under the low-level circulation center (LLCC) and is being powered by a self-induced meso-anticyclone. Also, there was an excellent poleward and equatoward outflow. A building western extension of a ridge close to the equator started showing a steering effect on the system, at that time. Tembin was expected to reach peak intensity within 48 hours. Later that morning, Tembin contained tracking north-northeastward at 04 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) while its eye grew a little large and its eyewall became more consolidated. The cloud-tops further cooled down and the eyewall was nearly symmetric. The poleward outflow was enhanced by a strong tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT). The windspeed rose from 65 knots (120 km/h; 75 mph) to 95 knots (176 km/h; 109 mph) within 6 hours. A deep mid-latitude trough across the Korean region resulting in a temporary slow-down or perhaps quasi-stationary motion east of Taiwan. At the same time, the PAGASA updated Tembin, otherwise known as Igme, locally, to a typhoon.