Typhoon Phanfone, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Neneng, was a 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 ...
which affected
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in early October 2014. It was the eighteenth named storm and the eighth typhoon of the
2014 Pacific typhoon season.
Meteorological history
Early on September 29, the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical storm, shortly before the JMA also upgraded it to a tropical storm and named it ''Phanfone''. Tracking along the southern periphery of the
subtropical ridge
The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as Subtropics, subtropical ridges, or highs. It is a h ...
, the storm intensified very slowly for two days, although conditions remained favorable. Late on September 30, the JMA upgraded Phanfone to a severe tropical storm, right before the JTWC upgraded it to a typhoon. After the JMA also upgraded Phanfone to a typhoon at noon on October 1, the system started to deepen more rapidly when tracking along the southwestern periphery of a deep-layered subtropical ridge. Under low vertical wind shear and good dual channel outflow enhanced by the mid-latitude
westerlies
The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and trend to ...
to the north, Phanfone formed a pinhole
eye early on October 2. According to the JMA, Phanfone reached peak intensity with ten-minute maximum sustained winds at 175 km/h (110 mph) at 06:00 UTC, and it also became equivalent to the category 4 strength on the
Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.
Soon, the eye became cloud-filled and formed a secondary eyewall, suggesting an
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 ...
.
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 ...
named the typhoon ''Neneng'' when it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility early on October 3. In addition, Phanfone formed a ragged and large eye, indicating the completion of the eyewall replacement cycle. Early on October 4, the JTWC upgraded Phanfone to a super typhoon when it was located about 170 km (105 mi) east-southeast of
Minamidaitōjima. As the system started to tap into the mid-latitude
westerlies
The westerlies, anti-trades, or prevailing westerlies, are prevailing winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees latitude. They originate from the high-pressure areas in the horse latitudes and trend to ...
, it was in an area of strong vertical wind shear offset by vigorous outflow, namely the improved poleward channel. Only six hours later, the JTWC downgraded Phanfone back to a typhoon owing to the loosening spiral banding. At noon, the JMA analysed that Phanfone started to weaken. The convective tops of the system intermittently warmed up afterwards, but the ragged and large eye still maintained well. Phanfone sharply recurved and accelerated northeastward early on the next day, tracking along the western edge of the deep-layered subtropical ridge.
Typhoon Phanfone passed near the southern coast of
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is named after the ancient Kii Province.
Overview
The area south of the “ Central Tectonic Line” is called , and is home to reef-like coral communities which are amongst ...
around 03:00
JST on October 6 (18:00 UTC on October 5). The eye immediately dissipated, as well as the system started to undergo
extratropical transition
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
right before making landfall near
Hamamatsu
is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was .
Overview
...
of the
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
after 08:00 JST (23:00 UTC on October 5). The JTWC issued the final warning to Phanfone early on October 6, and the system completely became
extratropical
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
at noon. The storm stopped weakening and began to deepen again early on October 7, and it crossed the
International Date Line
The International Date Line (IDL) is an internationally accepted demarcation on the surface of Earth, running between the South and North Poles and serving as the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific O ...
as a powerful extratropical cyclone early the next day.
Post-Tropical Cyclone Phanfone, which was located about 890 km (555 mi) southwest of
Unalaska
Unalaska ( ale, Iluulux̂; russian: Уналашка) is the chief center of population in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, reached peak intensity of its extratropical period at noon on October 8, with a barometric pressure of 948 hPa (27.99 inHg) and
hurricane-force
The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
History
The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufo ...
winds. The system started to weaken again early on October 9, and it turned northward early on October 11. The system eventually moved inland over
Southcentral Alaska
Southcentral Alaska (russian: Юго-Центральная Аляска) is the portion of the U.S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. Most of the population of the state lives in this regio ...
early on October 12 and dissipated later that day.
Preparations and impact
The extratropical remnant of Phanfone brought locally strong winds to portions of the
Alaskan Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ale, Alasxix̂; Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The ...
from October 12–13. Gusts peaked at in
King Cove
King Cove ( ale, Agdaaĝux̂) is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 938, up from 792 in 2000, but at the 2020 census this had reduced to 757.
Geography
King Cove is located at . ...
. Moisture associated with Phanfone later fueled a separate cyclone over the
Gulf of Alaska
The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, ...
which brought heavy rains to parts of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
Mariana Islands
On September 29, the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office in
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 ...
issued a
tropical storm watch
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
for
Saipan
Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
,
Tinian
Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...
, and the
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...
in anticipation of Phanfone's arrival the following day. This was subsequently upgraded to a
tropical storm warning
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
and accompanied by a
small craft advisory
A small craft advisory is a type of wind warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States. In Canada a similar warning is issued by Environment Canada. It is issued when winds have reached, or are expected to reach within 12 h ...
and a
flash flood watch
A flash flood watch ( SAME code: FFA; also referred as a "green box" by meteorologists) is severe weather watch product of the National Weather Service that is issued when conditions are favorable for flash flooding in flood-prone areas, usually ...
.
A typhoon watch was also raised for
Alamagan and
Pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
that evening.
At 10:40 a.m.
local time
Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
(00:40
UTC)
Northern Mariana Islands Governor Eloy Inos
Eulogio "Eloy" Songao Inos (September 26, 1949 – December 28, 2015) was a Northern Marianan politician who served as the eighth governor of the Northern Mariana Islands from 2013 to 2015. Inos, a member of the Republican Party, also served as t ...
declared a level one
Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local popul ...
. All non-essential government employees were sent home shortly thereafter. Public and private schools suspended classes on September 30 and October 1 while
Northern Marianas College
Northern Marianas College (NMC) is a Public college, public Land-grant university, land-grant college in the United States Northern Mariana Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). The college was founded in Susupe in 1976. N ...
closed only for September 30.
Six public shelters were opened at schools across Saipan; however, no one utilized them.
An "all clear" was issued for Saipan and Tinian after the storm's passage during the evening of September 30 and for the remainder of the Mariana Islands the following day.
Japan
Phanfone started affecting
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
late on October 4, as it began weakening. High waves and winds of 90 mph (150 km/h) were reported most in southern Japan. At the
Kadena Air Base
(IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
, the typhoon killed a U.S. airman and left two others missing after they were swept out to sea. It was also reported that 10 people were injured and nearly 10,000 houses were without power. On October 5, Phanfone also affected the
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
2014 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix (formally the 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 5 October 2014 at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Mie. It was the 15th race of the 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship, and t ...
, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall which made the track surface wet and significantly reduced visibility. Because of this, the race had to be
red flagged twice; the first time because the torrential rain made conditions too treacherous to race in and the second time because of a fatal accident involving
Jules Bianchi
Jules Lucien André Bianchi (; 3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015) was a French motor racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Bianchi had previously raced in Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and Form ...
, which was partially caused by the wet track conditions.
In
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, a total of eleven people were killed by the typhoon, with several others missing or injured.
Heavy rains from the typhoon worsened the spread of radioactive materials in groundwater around the
Fukushima I
The is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Ōkuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant suffered major damage from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. Th ...
and
Fukushima II nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power stations, heat is used to generate steam that drives a steam turbine connected to a electric generator, generato ...
s, which suffered
nuclear meltdowns in 2011 following a
MW9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Levels of the
radioactive
Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consid ...
hydrogen isotope tritium
Tritium ( or , ) or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with half-life about 12 years. The nucleus of tritium (t, sometimes called a ''triton'') contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus o ...
soared ten-fold from the previous month to 150,000
becquerels per liter.
Strontium-90
Strontium-90 () is a radioactive isotope of strontium produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of 28.8 years. It undergoes β− decay into yttrium-90, with a decay energy of 0.546 MeV. Strontium-90 has applications in medicine and i ...
, a substance known to cause
bone cancer
A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thyro ...
, rose to a record 1.2 million becquerels per liter. A separate sampling site showed a doubling in the levels of a
beta particle
A beta particle, also called beta ray or beta radiation (symbol β), is a high-energy, high-speed electron or positron emitted by the radioactive decay of an atomic nucleus during the process of beta decay. There are two forms of beta decay, β ...
-emitting substance from prior to the typhoon.
Throughout
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...
, 8 buildings were destroyed and a further 1,439 buildings were damaged by flooding. Losses in the prefecture amounted to
¥3.21 billion (US$29.5 million). Agricultural damage in Japan was calculated at ¥7.7 billion (US$70.7 million), while total economic losses nationwide were estimated at ¥10.5 billion (US$100 million) by
Aon Benfield.
See also
*
Other typhoons named Phanfone
*
Typhoon Melor (2009)
Typhoon Melor, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Quedan, was the second category 5 super typhoon in 2009. It interacted with Typhoon Parma in the first week of October southeast of Taiwan.
Meteorological history
On September 28, an area ...
*
Typhoon Wipha (2013)
Typhoon Wipha, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Tino, was a large tropical cyclone, typhoon that caused extensive damage in Japan in mid-October 2013. The system originated from a tropical depression well to the east of Guam on October 8. ...
*
Typhoon Vongfong (2014)
Typhoon Vongfong, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Ompong, was the most intense tropical cyclone Tropical cyclones in 2014, worldwide in 2014, and struck Japan as a large tropical system. It also indirectly affected the Philippines and T ...
*
Typhoon Chaba (2016)
Typhoon Chaba, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Igme, was the fourth most intense tropical cyclone in 2016 and the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in South Korea since Typhoon Sanba (2012), Sanba in 2012. Chaba also caused 7 de ...
*
Typhoon Lan (2017)
Typhoon Lan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Paolo, was the third-most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017. A very large storm, Lan was the twenty-first tropical storm and ninth typhoon of the annual typhoon season. It originated from ...
*
Typhoon Trami (2018)
References
External links
JMA General Informationof Typhoon Phanfone (1418) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Dataof Typhoon Phanfone (1418)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phanfone (2014)
Typhoon Phanfone
2014 Pacific typhoon season
Phanfone 2014
Phanfone 2014
Phanfone 2014
Phanfone 2014
September 2014 events in Asia
October 2014 events in Asia
September 2014 events in Oceania
October 2014 events in Oceania
Phanfone