Typhoon Goni, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Rolly, was an extremely powerful
tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
that made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
Catanduanes
Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across Maqueda ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
as a tropical storm. It was the strongest landfalling tropical typhoon on record by 1-minute maximum sustained winds. The nineteenth
named storm
Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the ...
, ninth
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
, and second super typhoon of the
2020 Pacific typhoon season
The 2020 Pacific typhoon season was the first with below-average tropical cyclone activity since 2001, with 23 named storms, 10 of which became typhoons and only 2 became super typhoons. This low activity was a consequence of La Niña that per ...
, Goni originated as a tropical depression south portion of
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
on October 26. It was then named as Tropical Storm Goni on October 27. On the next day, Goni explosively intensified over the
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its ...
, becoming a Category 5–equivalent super typhoon on October 30. Goni maintained Category 5 strength for over a day, before making landfall on
Catanduanes
Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across Maqueda ...
at peak intensity, with 10-minute sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph), and 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph), with a minimum central pressure of 905 hPa (mbar; 26.72 inHg). It was the most intense tropical cyclone observed worldwide in 2020, and one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record.
Following its first landfall, Goni rapidly weakened while it moved over the Sierra Madre mountain range of the Philippines. The storm brought severe flash flooding to Legazpi, as well as lahar flow from the nearby
Mayon Volcano
Mayon ( bcl, Bulkan Mayon; tl, Bulkang Mayon, ), also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano ( es, Monte Mayón, Volcán Mayón), is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is ren ...
. There were widespread power outages as well as damaged power and transmission lines in Bicol. Crops were also heavily damaged. Over 390,000 out of 1 million evacuated individuals have been displaced in the region. Due to the extreme wind speed of the typhoon, two evacuation shelters had their roofing lost. Debris and lahars had also blocked various roads, as well as rendering the Basud Bridge impassible. In Vietnam, where Goni made landfall as a tropical depression, there was flooding in numerous areas, as well as eroded and damaged roads. This exacerbated the
2020 Central Vietnam floods
The 2020 Central Vietnam floods were a series of floods in Central Vietnam, which also affected some areas in Cambodia and Laos in October and early November 2020. The floods focused heavily in several provinces including Thừa Thiên Hu ...
, causing an estimated ₫543 billion (US$23.5 million). In all, the typhoon killed at least 32 people and caused at least ₱20 billion (US$359 million) worth of damage. The
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
was also a concern for people in evacuation centers.
After Goni moved into the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
, it weakened to a tropical storm. It started to move generally westward towards
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. It eventually reached the country late on November 5 as a tropical depression, bringing heavy rain and gusty winds. International relief from several countries as well as the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
followed soon after the typhoon moved away from the Philippines. The relief included donations totaling up to $11.48 million and protection from the pandemic, among other items. Due to the damages caused by the typhoon, the names '' Goni'' and '' Rolly'' were retired.
Meteorological history
After
Typhoon Molave
Typhoon Molave, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Quinta, was a strong tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Philippines and Indochina in late October 2020, and became the strongest to strike the South Central Coast of Vietnam ...
devastated the Philippines, the
Japan Meteorological Agency
The , abbreviated JMA, is an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is charged with gathering and providing results for the public in Japan that are obtained from data based on daily scientific observation an ...
(JMA) announced the formation of a new tropical depression in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, west of the Mariana Islands, on October 27. Given its proximity to the
Philippine Area of Responsibility
The Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) is an area in the Northwestern Pacific where PAGASA, the Philippines' national meteorological agency, monitors weather occurrences. Significant weather disturbances, specifically tropical cyclones tha ...
(PAR), along with its westward forecasted track, the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration
Pagasa may refer to:
* ''Pagasa'' (genus), an insect genus in the family Nabidae
*PAGASA, an acronym for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
*"May Pagasa", a pen-name of José Rizal
*Pagasa, alternate ...
(PAGASA) also began issuing advisories on the newly formed system. By the next day, the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
(JTWC) had also followed and upgraded the system into a
tropical depression
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
. The storm had good outflow and structure as it approached the PAR.
As the system continued tracking westward under favorable conditions in the Pacific Ocean, the JMA and JTWC upgraded the system into a
tropical storm
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
, with the JMA assigning the name ''Goni'' to the intensifying system. The
PAGASA
Pagasa may refer to:
* ''Pagasa'' (genus), an insect genus in the family Nabidae
* PAGASA, an acronym for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
*"May Pagasa", a pen-name of José Rizal
José Prot ...
followed with an upgrade to a severe tropical storm a few hours later. Due to the warm waters surrounding the storm, the system underwent
rapid intensification
In meteorology, rapid intensification is a situation where a tropical cyclone intensifies dramatically in a short period of time. The United States National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as an increase in the maximum sustained wi ...
and became a
typhoon
A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
on October 29. On October 29, at 09:30 UTC, Goni entered the PAR and was named ''Rolly'' by the PAGASA. Early on the following day, the system was declared a super typhoon by the JTWC a few hours later, the second super typhoon of the season, before further intensifying into the first Category 5-equivalent super typhoon of the season by 06:00 UTC on October 30. After undergoing a brief
eyewall replacement cycle
In meteorology, eyewall replacement cycles, also called concentric eyewall cycles, naturally occur in intense tropical cyclones, generally with winds greater than , or major hurricanes ( Category 3 or above). When tropical cyclones reach this int ...
on October 31, which is a typical process for a storm of such high intensity, it resumed intensifying, with the JTWC, JMA, and
Satellite Analysis Branch
The United States Satellite Analysis Branch, part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA)'s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service's Satellite Services Division, is the operational focal point for r ...
all assessing
Dvorak technique
The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...
T-numbers of 8.0, the highest on the scale. On this basis, the JTWC estimated 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph), tying with Haiyan in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
as the highest reliably estimated in the
Eastern Hemisphere
The Eastern Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth which is east of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and west of the antimeridian (which crosses the Pacific Ocean and relatively little land from pole to pol ...
. Meanwhile, the JMA estimated a central barometric pressure of 905 hPa (mbar; 26.72 inHg) for the storm, while the JTWC estimated a minimum central pressure of 884 hPa (mbar; 26.1 inHg).
At 18:00 UTC on October 31 (2:00 PHT November 1), hours before Goni's first landfall, PAGASA upgraded Goni into a super typhoon. This was the second time that the PAGASA declared a system as a super typhoon since its introduction of the revised tropical cyclone intensity scale, the first being Haima in 2016. This is also the second time that the highest wind warning level, Signal #5, was raised in the Philippines as per the revised
tropical cyclone wind signals
The Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals (TCWS, or simply ''wind signals'' or ''signals''; Filipino: ''Mga Babala ng Bagyo'') are tropical cyclone alert levels issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration ...
.
At 20:50 UTC on October 31 (4:50 PHT November 1), Goni made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
in
Bato, Catanduanes
Bato, officially the Municipality of Bato, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 21,748 people.
Etymology
The Spanish colonizers, who surveyed the early set ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, at peak intensity, as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon. The JMA and PAGASA both reported 10-minute sustained winds of 220 km/h (140 mph) and , respectively, while the JTWC estimated 1-minute sustained winds of 315 km/h (195 mph) at the time of landfall. By 1-minute sustained winds, this made Goni the strongest recorded tropical cyclone to ever make landfall anywhere in the world. Goni made additional landfalls in
Tiwi, Albay
Tiwi, officially the Municipality of Tiwi ( bcl, Banwaan kan Tiwi; tl, Bayan ng Tiwi) is a 1st class municipality in the Province of Albay, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 56,444 people.
Etymology
Friars called ...
at 23:20 UTC and
San Narciso, Quezon
San Narciso, officially the Municipality of San Narciso ( tgl, Bayan ng San Narciso), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 51,058 people.
Geography
Barangays
Sa ...
at 04:00 UTC, on November 1. Goni then made its fourth and final landfall in the Philippines in
Lobo, Batangas
Lobo, officially the Municipality of Lobo ( tgl, Bayan ng Lobo), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,736 people.
Etymology
The name "Lobo" may have come f ...
at 09:30 UTC. Interaction with land, plus an increase in wind shear caused Goni to rapidly weaken and it emerged over the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...
as a minimal tropical storm.
Before exiting the PAR, Goni slightly reintensified, but further development was hampered by unfavorable conditions. The system exited the PAR at 12:00 UTC (20:00 PHT) on November 3.
Preparations
Philippines
The Bicol Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) issued a no-sail policy that was put in place on October 29. The Philippine Coast Guard stopped giving travel permits to sea vessels bound for the
Polillo Island
Polillo () is an island in the northeastern region of the Philippine archipelago. It is the largest island and the namesake of the Polillo Islands. It is separated from Luzon Island by the Polillo Strait and forms the northern side of Lamon Bay ...
. On October 30 at 8:00 PHT (0:00 UTC), authorities of
Quezon
Quezon, officially the Province of Quezon ( tl, Lalawigan ng Quezon), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region on Luzon. Kalilayan was the first known name of the province. It was later renamed Tayabas. In honor of the ...
placed the province in red alert in preparation for the storm, which requires operation and monitoring teams to be available at all times as the typhoon worsens. At the same time, the
Camarines Norte
Camarines Norte ( bcl, Amihanan na Camarines; fil, Hilagang Camarines), officially the Province of Camarines Norte, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet, Camarin ...
Incident Management Team began evacuating 35,000 families, around 159,000 people, from high-risk areas, including coastal villages inside the province's bayside capital,
Daet
Daet (), officially the Municipality of Daet ( bcl, Banwaan kan Daet; tl, Bayan ng Daet), is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,700 peo ...
. On the same day, the NDRRMC raised a nationwide red alert in preparation for the storm's impact.
The
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
, one of the largest
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
sample testing laboratories in the country, announced a temporary suspension of operations on November 1 and 2 in order to mitigate damage to their building and equipment. As the typhoon neared the country, the
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS, ; tl, Surian ng Pilipinas sa Bulkanolohiya at Sismolohiya) is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide information on the activities of volcanoes, earthquakes, and ...
had issued advisories warning of possible
lahar
A lahar (, from jv, ꦮ꧀ꦭꦲꦂ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley.
Lahars are extreme ...
contamination of nearby rivers and drainage areas near
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive history w ...
, the
Mayon Volcano
Mayon ( bcl, Bulkan Mayon; tl, Bulkang Mayon, ), also known as Mount Mayon and Mayon Volcano ( es, Monte Mayón, Volcán Mayón), is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol, Philippines. A popular tourist spot, it is ren ...
, and the Taal Volcano.
On the morning of the October 31, less than 24 hours before the typhoon made landfall, PAGASA raised a Signal #3 tropical cyclone warning signal for
Catanduanes
Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across Maqueda ...
, with the same signal being raised for the northeastern portions of both
Typhoon Angela
Typhoon Angela, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rosing, was a catastrophic Category 5-equivalent typhoon with sustained winds, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 1995. Typhoon Angela was the third storm in a row that ...
(1995) – Typhoon with a similar track to Typhoon Goni's
*
Typhoon Xangsane
Typhoon Xangsane, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Milenyo, was a typhoon that affected the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand during the 2006 Pacific typhoon season. The name Xangsane was submitted by Laos and means elephant.
Xangsane made l ...
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
(2013)
*
Typhoon Rammasun
Typhoon Rammasun, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Glenda, was one of the only three Category 5 super typhoons on record in the South China Sea, with the other ones being Pamela in 1954 and Rai in 2021. Rammasun had destructive impacts acros ...
(2014)
*
Typhoon Mangkhut
Typhoon Mangkhut (), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ompong, was a powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage in Guam, the Philippines and South China in September 2018. It was the strongest typhoon to strike L ...
(2018)
*
Typhoon Yutu
Typhoon Yutu, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Rosita, was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic destruction on the islands of Tinian and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and later impacted the Philippi ...
(2018) – A powerful Category 5-equivalent typhoon that took a similar track.
*
Typhoon Molave
Typhoon Molave, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Quinta, was a strong tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Philippines and Indochina in late October 2020, and became the strongest to strike the South Central Coast of Vietnam ...
(2020) – Another strong typhoon that affected the same areas a few days before.
*
Typhoon Vamco
Typhoon Vamco, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ulysses, was a powerful and very destructive Category 4-equivalent typhoon that struck the Philippines and Vietnam. It also caused the worst flooding in Metro Manila since Typhoon Ketsana i ...
(2020) – Another powerful typhoon that affected the same areas a week and a few days after.
*
Typhoon Noru
Typhoon Noru, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Karding, was an intense tropical cyclone that affected Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines — where it caused widespread agricultural damage. The sixteenth named storm and eighth ...
(2022) - An extremely destructive Category 5-equivalent typhoon that hit the same areas two years later and rapidly intensified over the same period. It also has similar movement to Goni.