Typhoon Shanshan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Luis, was a strong

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 ...

that affected parts of

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

in late September 2006. The 13th named storm of the

2006 Pacific typhoon season The 2006 Pacific typhoon season was a below-average season that produced a total of 23 named storms, 15 typhoons, and six super typhoons. The season ran throughout 2006, though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October. The ...

, Typhoon Shanshan was also the seventh typhoon of the year operationally recognised by 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 ...

. In post-operational analysis Shanshan became the eighth typhoon of the year when Typhoon Maria was added to the list. 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 ...

considered Shanshan the 13th tropical storm and eighth typhoon of the season, a Category 4-equivalent typhoon in terms of 1-minute average wind speed. The name ''Shanshan'' was submitted to the naming list by

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and is a girls'

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

. Shanshan wreaked havoc in Japan, with reports that it caused a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

which derailed a train. It made landfall first in the

Yaeyama Islands The Yaeyama Islands (八重山列島 ''Yaeyama-rettō'', also 八重山諸島 ''Yaeyama-shotō'', Yaeyama: ''Yaima'', Yonaguni: ''Daama'', Okinawan: ''Yeema'', Northern Ryukyuan: ''Yapema'') are an archipelago in the southwest of Okinawa ...

, where it caused heavy rains, and later in

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

. The outer bands of Shanshan also affected South Korea. Shanshan also knocked power out to thousands of homes in the two countries, and killed at least eleven people. Damage amounted to $2.5 billion (2006 USD), making Shanshan the sixth costliest disaster worldwide in 2006.

Meteorological history

On September 9, 2006, the

identified 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 ...

with 25-knot 10-minute average sustained winds about 500

kilometre The kilometre ( SI symbol: km; or ), spelt kilometer in American English, is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), equal to one thousand metres (kilo- being the SI prefix for ). It is now the measurement unit used for ex ...

s (300 mi) north-northeast of

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micro ...

, near

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

14.0°N

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

139.0°E. Later that day, the

Hong Kong Observatory The Hong Kong Observatory is a weather forecast agency of the government of Hong Kong. The Observatory forecasts the weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also monitors and makes assessments on radiation levels in Ho ...

(HKO) picked up on the tropical depression and started issuing track forecasts for the system. As the system continued to move northwestward, the

initiated advisories on Tropical Depression 14W on the morning of September 10. Later that day, the tropical depression moved into 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 ...

Area of Responsibility, and was named ''Luis''. As the system continued to strengthen, the JMA upgraded the depression to a storm at 1200 UTC and named it ''Shanshan'', a girls'

submitted by

. The HKO did the same at the same time, upgrading the depression to a storm. The storm quickly strengthened, being upgraded twice by the JMA on September 11, at 0600 UTC to a severe tropical storm and at 1800 UTC to a typhoon, becoming the seventh official typhoon of the season. It then took on a more north-northwesterly track, weakening while undergoing 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 ...

on September 14. However, it restrengthened, reaching its maximum intensity of from the JMA and from the JTWC before passing

Iriomote is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan, and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself. The island has an area of and a 2005 population of 2,347. The island does not have an airstrip, and most visitors — ov ...

on September 15. Originally expected by the JTWC to pass to the east of

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five main islands of Japan. The island is approximately long, an average wide, and has an ...

, a subtropical high-pressure ridge south of the main Japanese islands forced the storm to take a more westward track, pushing it towards

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Shortly later, Shanshan passed directly over

. PAGASA issued their final advisory later on September 16. Peak intensity for Typhoon Luis as reported by PAGASA while it was in their area of responsibility was only . Shanshan made landfall on September 17 on the island of

. The HKO issued their final track forecast on the weakening typhoon later that day as it passed out of their area of responsibility, with the peak intensity while within HKO's area of responsibility set at . The JTWC declared the system extratropical shortly after. The JMA downgraded the typhoon to a severe tropical storm at 0000 UTC September 18. Just before crossing the island of

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

, according to the JMA's best-track graphic, Severe Tropical Storm Shanshan became extratropical. The extratropical storm was tracked by the JMA in their high seas marine warnings until September 22.

Preparations

In anticipation of Typhoon Shanshan, the

Central Weather Bureau The Central Weather Bureau (CWB; ) is the government meteorological research and forecasting institution of the Republic of China (Taiwan). In addition to meteorology, the Central Weather Bureau also makes astronomical observations, reports on se ...

issued a marine warning for all ships in the areas around the north and the east coasts of the island and in the

Bashi Channel The Bashi Channel is a waterway between Y'Ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan. It is a part of the Luzon Strait in the Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by windy storms during the rainy period, June to December. The Bash ...

. Tourists were also asked to avoid the areas due to fears over large waves. The

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

provincial government in the People's Republic of China also asked all fishermen to return to port and ordered local authorities to help with evacuations of people from areas threatened by the typhoon. In Japan, the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

and its navy took precautions against the approaching storm.

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

was put under

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 ...

(TCCOR) 1-E, which means that all outdoor activities are prohibited as there are sustained winds of at least in force, on September 16, with over 100 flights into and out of

Naha International Airport is a second class airport located west of the city hallAIS Japan
in

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 ...

moved various aircraft to other undisclosed locations in the Pacific. Sasebo Naval Base declared TCCOR 1-E on September 17. The USS ''Harpers Ferry'' (LSD-49) and USS ''Juneau'' (LPD-10) both left the base, while the USS ''Patriot'' (MCM-7) was moved to a wet berth. Only one vessel, the USS ''Tortuga'' (LSD-46) remained in port for repairs, because authorities thought that the ship could withstand the storm. Elsewhere in Japan, some flights and

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

bullet trains were delayed or cancelled. In Miyazaki and

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

prefectures, evacuation orders were issued for almost 170 families. In

, 10,000 people voluntarily evacuated their houses for higher ground. The island's seven main airports were closed, causing 41,900 passengers to be stranded when 357 flights were cancelled. Ahead of an expected landfall on

, the JMA warned residents of the possibility of high winds. Typhoon warnings were issued for

Jeju Jeju may refer to: * Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo **Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo **Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju l ...

and the southern and eastern coasts of South Korea ahead of the storm. Passenger ships normally serving Jeju Island remained in port. In

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

, ports were closed, and in

Ulsan Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...

, 1,600 ships remained in port. In

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World ...

, authorities banned departures from the port at

Tongyeong Tongyeong () is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (neighborhood). Chungmu city and Tongyeong cou ...

, stranding over 16,000 fishing boats. The Korean Coast Guard said that a total of 52,000 ships remained at ports across the nation.

Mount Jiri Jirisan is a mountain located in the southern region of South Korea. It is the second-tallest mountain in South Korea after Jeju Island's Hallasan, and the tallest mountain in mainland South Korea. The 1915m-high mountain is located in Jiri ...

was also closed ahead of the storm's passage through Korea, which was expected to bring up to of rain.

Impact

South Korea

In South Korea, Jeju Island reported of rain by September 16, well before the typhoon hit, while

had reported . Shanshan knocked out

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

to nearly 4,000 homes in southeastern South Korea. A ship off

Ulleungdo Ulleungdo (also spelled Ulreungdo; Hangul: , ) is a South Korean island 120 km (75 mi) east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan, formerly known as the Dagelet Island or Argonaut Island in Europe. Volcanic in origin, the rocky s ...

sank, but no casualties were reported from that incident. A sailor died when trying to dock boats on Jeju-do.

Japan

Shanshan's effects on Japan and its outlying Pacific islands were widespread. On

, a peak gust of was recorded, the strongest ever on record since records started in 1972. On

Ishigaki, Okinawa is a city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It includes Ishigaki island and the Senkaku Islands territory. The city is the political, cultural, and economic center of the Yaeyama Islands. New Ishigaki Airport serves the city. As of December 2012, th ...

, a peak gust of was reported, with rainfall rates of up to 50 mm per hour (2 inches per hour) reported. Over 25,000 homes on Ishigaki lost power after 182 utility poles were downed by the storm, and at least 12 people on the island were injured. Eight vessels were reported to have capsized. At

, of rain were reported, with a maximum gust of recorded.

Naha International Airport is a second class airport located west of the city hallAIS Japan
in

reported a recorded maximum wind gust to . In

Motobu, Okinawa is a town located in Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of October 2016, the town has an estimated population of 13,441 and a density of 250 persons per km2. The total area is . Several islands can be accessed from Motobu, namely ...

, high waves damaged the local port and swept 30 cargo containers to sea, while in

Okinawa City is the second-largest city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, following Naha, the capital city. It is located in the central part of the island of Okinawa, about north of Naha. As of December 2012, the city has an estimated population of 138,431 and ...

, six injuries were reported. One building in the city suffered a wall collapse, and at least 70 houses were damaged. Off

, a

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

-registered car ferry capsized, killing one crew member. A train was derailed, possibly due to a tornado, injuring five people. On the island, an electrician in

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

died after an industrial container at his firm fell on top of him, crushing him. A glass entrance of a

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

Nobeoka is a city located in the north of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 119,521 and a population density of 138 persons per km². The total area is . History The city was officially founded on F ...

broke on impact with flying debris, killing one person. Elsewhere in the prefecture, a 42-year-old man died in his bedroom when it was crushed, while an elderly woman farmer died when she was hit by a fallen tree outside a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

. Three other deaths were confirmed on the island. Meanwhile, in

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

, a 50-year-old firefighter was killed when he drowned after being swept away by rising flood waters. A journalist went missing in similar circumstances, and was found dead a few days later. In all, Typhoon Shanshan killed 11 people and injured over 260 others. Shanshan is also credited with

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

4.9 million worth of net losses in the third financial quarter for IPC Holdings, Ltd.

References

Shanshan Shanshan (; ug, پىچان, Pichan, Piqan) was a kingdom located at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert near the great, but now mostly dry, salt lake known as Lop Nur. The kingdom was originally an independent city-state, known in t ...