Typhoon Zeb, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Iliang, was a powerful

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 struck the island of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in October 1998. It is tied with

Cyclone Ron Severe Tropical Cyclone Ron was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to impact Tonga. The system was first noted as a tropical depression, to the northeast of Samoa on January 1, 1998. Over the next day the system gradually developed further ...

and Cyclone Susan in terms of minimum pressure, for the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide for 1998. The tenth tropical storm of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

, Zeb formed on October 10 from the

monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, ...

near the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the centra ...

. It moved westward initially and quickly intensified. Zeb's

inflow Inflow may refer to: * Inflow (hydrology), the water entering a body of water * Inflow (meteorology) Inflow is the flow of a fluid into a large collection of that fluid. Within meteorology, inflow normally refers to the influx of warmth and moi ...

briefly spawned another tropical storm, which it ultimately absorbed. Developing an

eye Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conv ...

, Zeb

rapidly intensified 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 ...

into a

super typhoon Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...

, officially reaching

maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...

s of 205 km/h (125 mph); one warning agency estimated winds as high as 285 km/h (180 mph). After reaching peak intensity, the typhoon struck northern Luzon and quickly weakened over land. Turning to the north, Zeb brushed the east coast of

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 ...

at a reduced intensity, and after accelerating to the northeast it moved through

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 ...

. It 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 ...

on October 18 and moved eastward over open waters. First affecting the Philippines, Zeb dropped torrential rainfall in Luzon, reaching in one day in La Trinidad, estimated as a one-in-1,147-year event. The rains caused floods and landslides, which compounded with high winds to leave heavy crop damage. Zeb destroyed or damaged 85,844 houses in the Philippines, and damage in the country was estimated at ₱5.375 billion (1998

Philippine peso The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Tagalog name ''piso'' (Philippine English: , , plural pesos; tl, piso ; sign: ₱; code: PHP), is the official currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 ''sentimo'', also called ce ...

s, $126 million

U.S. dollars 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 ...

), the fifth-costliest at the time. There were also 83 deaths in the country, a number compounded upon when

Typhoon Babs The name Babs has been used for four tropical cyclones in the northwest Pacific Ocean. * Typhoon Babs (1951) (T5121) * Typhoon Babs (1956) (T5609), struck Japan * Tropical Storm Babs (1959) (T5917, 41W), struck Taiwan * Typhoon Babs (1998) T ...

struck the same region a week later. High winds and rainfall from Zeb later affected Taiwan, causing NT$4.15 billion (

New Taiwan dollar The New Taiwan dollar (code: TWD; symbol: NT$, also abbreviated as NT) is the official currency of Taiwan. The New Taiwan dollar has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars ...

, $125 million USD) in damage as well as 31 deaths. Gusty winds affected much of Japan, while heavy rainfall peaked at on

Mount Ontake , also referred to as , is the 14th highest mountain and second highest volcano in Japan (after Mount Fuji) at . It is included in ''100 Famous Japanese Mountains''. Description Mt. Ontake is located around northeast of Nagoya, and around 200& ...

. The storm killed 14 people in the country, several related to landslides. Zeb destroyed 770 homes and flooded another 12,548 in Japan.

Meteorological history

The

spawned a tropical disturbance over the western

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 ...

to the east 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 ...

around October 7. The system moved steadily westward, organizing enough for the American-based

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) to issue a

Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone forming ...

early on October 9. After the disturbance passed south of Guam, the JTWC began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression 18W late on October 9, and 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) followed suit the next day. While passing north 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 ...

in the

, the depression intensified into a tropical storm according to the JTWC, which gave it the

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

Zeb. The JMA again was delayed in upgrading by a day. After becoming a tropical storm, Zeb proceeded to steadily intensify. Its large

spawned a circulation well to the east-northeast, which organized into a separate tropical storm –

Alex Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple pe ...

. Early on October 11, the storm entered the area of responsibility of

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 ...

– the Philippine-based weather agency – which gave it the local name ''Iliang''. Late on October 11, the JTWC upgraded Zeb to typhoon status, or one-minute winds of at least . This was based on the appearance of a banding-type

on satellite imagery. On October 12, the storm

as it turned more to the west-northwest toward 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 ...

. During this time, it caused increased

wind shear Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...

over the smaller Tropical Storm Alex to the east-northeast, ultimately absorbing it. At 00:00 UTC on October 13, the JTWC upgraded Zeb to

status, estimating winds of , marking that Zeb attained Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Twelve hours later, the agency estimated that the typhoon strengthened further to a peak of 285 km/h (180 mph), making it the strongest storm of the season. At the same time, PAGASA also estimated peak 10-minute winds of , also designating Zeb as a super typhoon. Late on October 13, the JMA estimated peak 10-minute winds of just east of the island of

. While near peak intensity, the JTWC estimated that winds of extended , and

gale A gale is a strong wind; the word is typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as sustained surface winds moving at a speed of between 34 and 47 knots (, or ). Zeb's eyewall continued to contract up until it moved ashore. Early on October 14, Zeb 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 ...

on eastern Luzon just south of Palanan Bay, or east of

Ilagan Ilagan, officially the City of Ilagan ( ibg, Siudad nat Ilagan; ilo, Siudad ti Ilagan; fil, Lungsod ng Ilagan), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Isabela, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a popula ...

, near peak intensity. The typhoon weakened rapidly over land, while its track shifted more to the north around a

ridge A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

to the east. It emerged into the

Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Taiwan and Luzon island of the Philippines. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an im ...

between the eponymous island and

with a much larger eyewall, and failed to re-intensify over open waters. Late on October 15, Zeb passed within of Taiwan's east coast before accelerating to the northeast due to a passing

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

. The JMA downgraded the typhoon to tropical storm status on October 16, although the JTWC retained Zeb at typhoon status. Favorable upper-level conditions allowed the storm to briefly re-intensify after passing Taiwan, although this was short-lived, and it weakened while accelerating toward Japan. At 07:00 UTC on October 17, Zeb struck southern

Kyushu 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 surroun ...

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

. It continued northeastward through the country, striking

Kōchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Kōchi Prefecture has a population of 757,914 (1 December 2011) and has a geographic area of 7,103 km2 (2,742 sq mi). Kōchi Prefecture borders Ehime Prefecture to the northwest and ...

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

and later crossing central

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separ ...

as a tropical storm. During this time, the storm was losing tropical characteristics as it swiftly entered the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

. At 00:00 UTC on September 18, the JMA declared Zeb extratropical, and shortly after the storm moved over northern

Hokkaido 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 ...

and into the

Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...

. The remnants moved across the southern

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and we ...

and continued eastward through the open north Pacific. It was last noted by the JMA early on October 20.

Preparations

Ahead of the storm, PAGASA issued Public Storm Warning Signal #4, in which winds of over were expected within 12 hours. The warning covered

Batanes Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes ( ivv, Provinsiya nu Batanes; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; fil, Lalawigan ng Batanes, ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It i ...

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the C ...

, Isabela,

Quirino Quirino, officially the Province of Quirino ( ilo, Probinsia ti Quirino; tl, Lalawigan ng Quirino), is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is Cabarroguis. It is named after Elpi ...

, and northern

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. Lesser warnings were issued as far south as the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; tl, Kabisayaan ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao ...

, and extended into the

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

area. After two damaging storms in September, the government began making widespread preparations on October 13, organizing efforts through its National Disaster Coordinating Council. Ports were closed and flights were canceled due to the storm. Before the worst of the storm struck, power companies shut off electricity to prevent accidents. About 103,000 people evacuated their homes, including over 6,325 staying in 114 government shelters. Evacuations extended as far south as

Camarines Sur Camarines Sur ( bcl, Habagatan na Camarines; tl, Timog Camarines), officially the Province of Camarines Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bicol Region on Luzon. Its capital is Pili and the province borders Camarines Norte and ...

. 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 ...

issued a stand-by

warning signal Aposematism is the Advertising in biology, advertising by an animal to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defences which make the prey difficult to kill and eat, suc ...

#1 due to the storm's proximity to the South China Sea. Before Zeb brushed the east coast of Taiwan, a typhoon warning was issued, causing schools, government buildings, and financial markets to close. Airports and ferry travel were also disrupted. 183 residents evacuated to storm shelters, including 50 from a nursing home. Hundreds of Chinese fishing boats rode out the storm in Taiwan harbors. Similarly to Taiwan, Zeb delayed ferry service in Japan, and caused 271 domestic flights to be canceled. Train service was canceled on Kyushu during the storm.

Impact

Philippines

Striking the Philippines at peak intensity, Zeb largely affected the island of Luzon, including the

regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

Ilocos Ilocos Region ( ilo, Rehion/Deppaar ti Ilocos; pag, Sagor na Baybay na Luzon/Rehiyon Uno; tl, Rehiyon ng Ilocos) is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region I, occupying the northwestern section of Luzon and part of ...

Cagayan Valley Cagayan Valley ( ilo, Tanap ti Cagayan; fil, Lambak ng Cagayan), is an administrative region in the Philippines, located in the northeastern section of Luzon Island. It is composed of five Philippine provinces: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nue ...

, and

Central Luzon Central Luzon ( pam, (Reyun ning) Kalibudtarang Luzon, pag, (Rehiyon na) Pegley na Luzon, tgl, (Rehiyon ng) Gitnang Luzon, ilo, (Rehion/Deppaar ti) Tengnga ti Luzon), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

. Wind gusts were estimated as high as in the country. The storm also dropped torrential rainfall, particularly in mountainous regions. In the municipality of Bakun, the

rain gauge A rain gauge (also known as udometer, pluvia metior, pluviometer, ombrometer, and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation over a predefined area, over a period o ...

overflowed, and in nearby La Trinidad, the rainfall was on October 14 alone. The latter total was estimated as a one-in-1,147-year event, based on the history of local rainfall totals. In the city of

Baguio Baguio ( , ), officially the City of Baguio ( ilo, Siudad ti Baguio; fil, Lungsod ng Baguio), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

, the precipitation reached , enough to flood the town deep. The

Binga Binga may refer to: *Binga District, Zimbabwe *Binga village, Zimbabwe *Binga, Mali *Binga, Democratic Republic of the Congo * Binga people, an ethnic group in Sudan *Jesse Binga, American businessman *Monte Binga, highest mountain in Mozambique *B ...

and Ambuclao dams in

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the islan ...

were unable to support the rains from the storm, forcing them to be opened and flood three towns in neighboring

Pangasinan Pangasinan, officially the Province of Pangasinan ( pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Pangasinan, ; ilo, Probinsia ti Pangasinan; tl, Lalawigan ng Pangasinan), is a coastal province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region of Luzon. Its capit ...

. Minor street flooding occurred along the west coast near Manila. Across Luzon, the high rains caused flooding, landslides, and halted construction of a dam in Bakun. Considered one of the strongest typhoons to hit the area in decades, Zeb knocked down trees and power lines, which covered roads and left areas isolated. The winds were strong enough to blow over a

jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...

. Along its path, the storm destroyed 26,305 houses and damaged another 59,539, mostly affecting those of weaker building materials. River flooding caused heavy damage to crops, estimated at ₱1.76 billion (1998

s, $41.3 million

); the storm destroyed of rice in Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley. Most of the damage occurred in Luzon, with little impact elsewhere. The storm also marred the local infrastructure; areas in northeastern Luzon were isolated when landslides blocked a highway, and several other roads and bridges were impassible. Overall, Zeb killed 83 people in the country, while injuring another 63; most of the deaths were related to the landslides, and 33 of the deaths were in

Cordillera Administrative Region The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR; ilo, Rehion/Deppaar Administratibo ti Kordiliera; fil, Rehiyong Pampangasiwaan ng Cordillera), also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera (), is an administrative region in the Philippines, ...

. Overall damage was estimated at ₱5.375 billion (PHP, $126 million USD), which as of 2011 was the thirteenth-costliest typhoon in the Philippines and the fifth-costliest at the time.

Elsewhere

The interaction between Zeb and the monsoon brought gusty winds to

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 ...

, reaching on

Cheung Chau Cheung Chau (lit. "Long Island") is an island southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is nicknamed the 'dumbbell island (啞鈴島)' due to its shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in Hong Kong, and had a population of 2 ...

. High tides were also recorded, although there was no reported damage in the territory. Later, Zeb produced sustained winds of in Taiwan, although gusts topped at . The typhoon dropped torrential rainfall in the northern and eastern portions of the island, with peak hourly rates of . Several regions of Taiwan received over of rainfall. The rains caused severe flooding along rivers, with a peak discharge of 3715 m³/s (131,193 ft³/s). The high rainfall forced workers at the Fei-tsui Dam to release water, after water levels rose by . Landslides near

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

wrecked homes, trapping at least two people. Landslides also covered several highways while floods washed away bridges, cutting off traffic. Flooding occurred in the suburbs of Taipei, and the winds were strong enough to cause skyscrapers to sway in the city. Zeb's winds knocked over trees, billboards, and power lines, leaving 1.15 million without electricity. Two-story high waves killed a fisherman in

Taitung City Taitung City () is a county-administered city and the county seat of Taitung County, Taiwan. It lies on the southeast coast of Taiwan facing the Pacific Ocean. Taitung City is the most populous subdivision of Taitung County and it is one of the ...

, washed a freighter ashore in

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...

, and capsized a boat in

Tamsui District Tamsui District (Hokkien POJ: ''Tām-chúi''; Hokkien Tâi-lô: ''Tām-tsuí''; Mandarin Pinyin: ''Dànshuǐ'') is a seaside district in New Taipei, Taiwan. It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popul ...

, killing one sailor; five of the others on board swam two hours to reach shore. The storm left $57.6 million (USD) in crop damage, after hundreds of acres of fields were damaged in the southern and central Taiwan. Overall damage was estimated at NT$4.15 billion (

, $125 million USD), and there were 31 confirmed deaths in Taiwan, with 19 people injured. Typhoon Zeb 17 Oct 1998 0732Z

While moving through Japan, Zeb produced peak sustained winds of in Kōchi Prefecture within Shikoku. The highest rainfall was on

on Honshu. The widespread rainfall caused 332 landslides and washed away seven bridges. Within Japan, Zeb first affected

Miyako-jima is the largest and the most populous island among the Miyako Islands of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Miyako Island is administered as part of the City of Miyakojima, which includes not only Miyako Island, but also five other populated islands. ...

while passing about to the northwest. High winds left 2,600 houses without power and caused damage to public buildings. It later passed about to the northwest of

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 ...

. Along the island, wind gusts reached , and wave heights peaked at 13.7 m (45 ft). The waves swept away two people over a sea wall, killing them both. High waves also damaged a port at

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 ...

as well as several houses near the coast. The storm also passed near 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 ...

with strong winds. Salt spray coated trees and ruined them, and there was scattered public building damage. On Kyushu, Zeb damaged houses, marred crops, and flooded rivers. The storm spawned a tornado in

Miyazaki Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,073,054 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 7,735 km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefecture borders Ōita Prefecture to the north, Kuma ...

that damaged two roofs and a vehicle. In Saganoseki, a motorist died after a roadway collapse landed his vehicle in a nearby river. On Shikoku, Zeb destroyed roads and farmlands and eroded lands along waterways. Three people died due to a landslide in

Matsuyama file:Matsuyama city office Ehime prefecture Japan.jpg, 270px, Matsuyama City Hall file:Ehimekencho-20040417.JPG, 270px, Ehime Prefectural Capital Building is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan ...

. In

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

along Honshu, Zeb left six people missing or killed and was the costliest typhoon since

Typhoon Fran Typhoon Fran, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Reming, produced tremendous rainfall in Japan including, at the time, a national 24-hour record accumulation of . Forming as a tropical depression on September 3 to the southeast of Guam, Fr ...

in 1976. Landslides killed three people 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 ...

. Power outages and landslides affected much of Honshu, while strong winds damaged many fields. A cargo freighter washed aground amid high waves in

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 ...

, causing oil to leak and requiring assistance from the Coast Guard; oil recovery equipment was sent to the area to clean the spill. Lastly, Zeb affected the northern island of Hokkaido, causing one landslide, damaging 152 buildings, and knocking 152,000 apples to the ground. Nationwide, Zeb destroyed 770 homes and flooded another 12,548, with thousands forced to evacuate their homes due to flooding. Overall, there were 14 deaths and 67 injuries, with damage estimated at $335.5 million (1998 USD).

Aftermath

After the storm, then-

Philippine president The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...

declared six provinces as a state of calamity, which allocated ₱1 million in emergency funds for each province. The president was unable to return home from a trip to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

due to the storm. The military was activated to help organize relief efforts, using rubber boats and trucks to reach the hardest hit areas as floodwaters decreased. They were aided by the Philippine

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

and other government agencies. Most evacuees returned home after the storm passed, excluding those whose houses sustained damage. Volunteers, the military, and public workers helped clean up from the damage. Just seven days after Zeb's damaging Philippine landfall, another typhoon—

Babs Babs or BABS may refer to: People * Nickname of Barbara Windsor (1937-2020), British actress * Babs McMillan, Australian actress * Babs Olusanmokun, American actor * Babs Reingold, American artist * Babs Fafunwa (1923-2010), Nigerian educationist ...

—struck the same general region with a similar, but lesser intensity. After both storms, the Philippine

National Electrification Administration The National Electrification Administration (NEA; fil, Pambansang Pangasiwaan ng Elektripikasyon) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) attached to the Department of Energy of the Philippines tasked in the full implementation ...

provided ₱1.78 million to the Batanes Electric Cooperative to restore damaged power lines. Power was gradually restored in northeastern Luzon, allowing communication of the damage extent. The nation's Department of Health distributed ₱547,469 worth of medicine to four provinces. The government airlifted about 3,000 bags of supplies to Cagayan that included rice and canned goods. The back to back storm impacts caused an estimated 30% drop in coconut exports.

Food prices Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices have an impact on producers and consumers of food. Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing an ...

rose dramatically, in some instances up to 400%, after both storms damaged crops. The storms also delayed shipments of sugar from neighboring countries, although prices were expected to fall once they arrived. By December 1998, consumer prices had risen by 11.2% over the previous year due to the typhoons' damage. Workers in Taiwan began a search-and-rescue mission for missing victims once the typhoon warning was lifted. Workers immediately began repairing road damage in Japan once the storm passed.

References

External links

JMA General Information
of Typhoon Zeb (9810) from Digital Typhoon
JTWC Best Track Data
of Super Typhoon 18W (Zeb)
18W.ZEB
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeb (1998) 1998 Pacific typhoon season Typhoons in Japan

Typhoon Zeb Typhoon Zeb, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Iliang, was a powerful typhoon that struck the island of Luzon in October 1998. It is tied with Cyclone Ron and Cyclone Susan in terms of minimum pressure, for the most intense tropical cyclone wo ...

Typhoons Retired Philippine typhoon names 1998 disasters in the Philippines Typhoons in the Philippines