Typhoon Vicente
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Typhoon Vicente, known in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Ferdie, was the strongest
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 ...
to strike the Chinese province of
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
since Hagupit in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, and was regarded as the strongest storm to affect
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
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
in more than ten years. The eighth
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 ...
and third typhoon in the 2012 Pacific typhoon season, Vicente began life as a tropical depression on July 18, 2012 north east of the Philippines. Vicente soon steadily moved into the South China Sea, and began to intensify above warm sea waters, and began
explosive 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 ...
early on July 23, and started to charge toward the Guangdong region prompting 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) to issue the Hurricane Signal, No. 10, the first since
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
in 1999. The
Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG, ; pt, Direcção dos Serviços Meteorológicos e Geofisicos) is a department of the Macao Government. It provides weather forecasts and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also provides ...
also hoisted the Signal No. 9 for the first time since York and after the
transfer of sovereignty over Macau The transfer of sovereignty of Macau (; pt, Transferência da soberania de Macau) from Portugal to the People's Republic of China (PRC) occurred on 20 December 1999. Macau was settled by Portuguese merchants in 1557, during the Ming dynasty ...
. Late on the same day, Vicente made landfall over
Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai or Taishan (), Shandong, China *Taishan District, Tai'an (), named after the Mount Tai, a district in Tai'an, Shandong, China *Taishan, Guangdong (), a county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China **Gre ...
in Guangdong, China.


Meteorological history

After Khanun became a tropical storm on July 16, its large area of convection associated with a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
in the south began to split, and it was transformed into a tropical disturbance on July 17.
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) upgraded the system to a tropical depression on July 18. On July 20, the tropical depression became more organized; however, due to moderate vertical wind shear, and dry air coming from the north of the system, the low level circulation center became exposed, as it developed three multiple circulation centers. Later that 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) issued 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 ...
on the system; soon, 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 José Prot ...
(PAGASA) upgraded it to a tropical depression and named it ''Ferdie''. The JTWC also upgraded the system to a tropical depression late on the same day. After the system 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 ...
on July 21, the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical storm and named it ''Vicente'', while the storm moved out of 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 ...
. As the system's convection began wrapping around the circulation center, the JTWC upgraded Vicente to a tropical storm late on July 21. On July 22, Vicente slowed down and looped, for 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 ...
northeast to the storm suddenly weakened. Late on the same day, the JMA upgraded Vicente to a severe tropical storm. On July 23, because of weak vertical
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 ...
and high
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mass ...
, Vicente's structure became better organized, and it started to form 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 ...
when it moved towards
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, prompting the JTWC upgrading Vicente to a category 1 typhoon. As system continued to strengthen, it developed a few Hot towers, reaching 9.3 miles (15 km) high. Soon after, Vicente began a phase of
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 w ...
near the
Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...
, leading the JTWC to amend their advisory at 12Z from a 70-knot (80.5 mph/129.6 kmh) category 1 typhoon to a 115-knot(132.3 mph/213 kmh) category 4 typhoon in six hours, and the JMA upgraded Vicente to a typhoon around the same time. When Vicente was located about 110 kilometres south-southwest of
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 ...
at 16:45 UTC on July 23, 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) issued the Hurricane Signal, No. 10, the first since
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
in 1999 and the farthest from Hong Kong on record. Then, Typhoon Vicente made landfall over
Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai or Taishan (), Shandong, China *Taishan District, Tai'an (), named after the Mount Tai, a district in Tai'an, Shandong, China *Taishan, Guangdong (), a county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China **Gre ...
in Guangdong, China at 20:15 UTC, 111 kilometers west of Hong Kong, as a category 4 typhoon with winds of 213 km/h. On July 24, Vicente was still holding typhoon strength, even over land, as a category 3 typhoon, with winds of 185 kmh, and the JMA downgraded Vicente to a severe tropical storm. Later, the JMA downgraded Vicente to a tropical storm and even downgraded it to a tropical depression late on the same day.


Preparations and impact


Philippines

The depression caused widespread rains and gusty winds in
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 ...
and
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 ...
region due to the enhancement of southwest monsoon. On July 20, classes were suspended from pre-school to high school level due to heavy rain and severe flooding. Some were stranded to their offices and residents were advised to seek in higher ground. About eleven provinces in Luzon were hoisted the signal warnings as the depression crossed extreme northern Luzon. Rainfall exceeding 40 mm/h was recorded under the 400 diameter of the depression. On the same time, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration released a red warning throughout
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 ...
and nearby provinces as the depression is expected to pour down a 3 - 4pm equivalent rainfall of
Typhoon Ketsana Typhoon Ketsana, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Ondoy, was the second-most devastating tropical cyclone of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season, causing United States dollar, $1.15 billion in damages and 921 fatalities, only behind Typhoo ...
of 2009. Classes in tertiary level were cancelled. Airports and seaports were advised to not engage with the weather as zero visibility in air and sea was expected. Gale warnings were also released. At least 2 people died and 6 others were officially missing.


Hong Kong

On July 21 at 15:40 
Hong Kong Time Hong Kong Time (abbreviation: HKT; ) is the time in Hong Kong, observed at UTC+08:00 all year round. The Hong Kong Observatory is the official timekeeper of the Hong Kong Time. It is indicated as Asia/Hong_Kong in the IANA time zone database. ...
(HKT) (07:40 UTC) after Tropical Depression 09W had come to within 800 km (500 mi) of Hong Kong, 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 the Standby Signal Number 1 for the Special Administrative Region. The Standby Signal Number 1 was kept in force for the next 37 hours, before as Vicente started to move towards the Southern China coast, it was replaced with the Strong Wind Signal Number 3 at 05:20 HKT on July 23 (21:20 UTC, July 22). During that day, as the system moved closer to the Former British colony local winds gradually strengthened and reached gale force offshore and on high ground, before the HKO issued the Northeast Gale or Storm Signal Number 8 at 17:40 HKT (09:40 UTC). Local winds continued to strengthen after the Northeast Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 was issued with gales recorded generally in Hong Kong and were reaching storm force over waters in southern Hong Kong. The Increasing Gale or Storm Signal No. 9 was subsequently hoisted at 23:20 HKT (15:20 UTC), when Vicente was located about to the south-southwest of Hong Kong, and had just intensified abruptly into a severe typhoon. During that night after Signal No. 9 had been issued, Vicente continued to move closer to Hong Kong and its eyewall came close to the south-western part of Hong Kong during the early hours. Local winds also turned and became southeasterly with storm force winds over many places of the Special Administrative Region, reaching hurricane force in the southwestern part of Hong Kong and on high ground. As a result, for the first time since Typhoon York in 1999, the HKO issued its highest TC warning signal: the Hurricane Signal Number 10 at 00:45 HKT (16:45 UTC). Typhoon Vicente's centre subsequently passed about to the southwest of the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters between 01:00 â€“ 02:00 HKT (17:00 â€“ 18:00 UTC), which marked a direct hit and signifies that Vicente is the farthest TC that necessitated the issuance of Signal No. 10. The 10-minute wind speed of Cheung Chau automatic weather station peaked at 1:25am with a maximum of 140 km/h, proving that the highest TC warning signal was necessary. As Vicente moved away and local winds gradually subsided, the Southeast Gale or Storm Signal Number 8 was issued at 03:35 HKT (19:35 UTC) to replace Signal No. 10. The Southeast Gale or Storm Signal Number 8 was then replaced by the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 at 10:10 HKT (02:10 UTC), which allowed business and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to reopen and trade again. The Signal No. 3 was replaced by Standby Signal No. 1 subsequently at 14:40 HKT (06:40 UTC). Vicente moved further away during the rest of the day and after its circulation was no longer affecting Hong Kong, all tropical cyclone warning signals were cancelled at 23:15 HKT (15:15 UTC). However, a monsoon trough continued to bring strong winds to Hong Kong, thus requiring the issuance of Strong Monsoon Signal immediately afterwards, until 5:20am on the next day. The weather in Hong Kong remained poor for 3 more days because of Vicente's outer rain bands and the monsoon trough. The Observatory had to issue the Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal several times, until the weather became fine on 28 July. During July 23 and 24, Typhoon Vicente's rainbands brought heavy squally showers to Hong Kong, during which over of rainfall was recorded over many parts of the territory, while a maximum storm surge of about was recorded at
Tsim Bei Tsui Tsim Bei Tsui () is an area of Yuen Long District in the northwestern part of the New Territories in Hong Kong, facing Deep Bay. Geography The area is the estuary of the , Shan Pui and Kam Tin rivers. Kwai Shan () is a 71 m high hill located ...
. In Hong Kong, at least 138 people were injured during the passage of Vicente. The number of fallen trees amounted to about 8 800. There were two reports of landslip and 7 reports of flooding. Dangerous signboards or fallen scaffoldings were reported in many parts of the territory, resulting in closure of some roads and damage to many vehicles. A wooden board was blown up by strong winds in Connaught Road Central, hitting a number of passers-by and knocking one of them unconscious. During the storm, the East Rail line of the Mass Transit Railway had to halt service because of damage of overhead cables by toppling trees. As a result, hundreds of commuters were forced to spend the night in trains or at the MTR stations. Crops were damaged by flood waters in some farmlands in Sheung Shui. A small craft ran aground in Deep Water Bay and was damaged. At the Hong Kong International Airport, at least 90 flights were cancelled, over 446 flights delayed and 50 flights were diverted because of Typhoon Vicente on July 23–24. 8,800 trees were destroyed (which set a new record) and much debris crashed into downtown streets as people made their way home from work, being told to take shelter. Ferry, bus and train services were suspended or ran at reduced capacity. The ports and schools were closed, and at least 60 passenger flights were cancelled, while more than 270 flights were delayed. The stock exchange was also closed in the morning. Almost 140 injured people sought medical treatment and 268 people took refuge in storm shelters in Hong Kong. Hong Kong local media also reported that more than 100 people stayed in the Tai Wai train station overnight, unable to get home after services were suspended. There were no deaths.


Hong Kong plastic disaster

The
Hong Kong plastic disaster The Hong Kong plastic disaster refers to a marine pollution event in adjacent waters of Hong Kong in 2012. Typhoon Vicente hit Hong Kong and its adjacent waters on 23 July 2012, causing seven containers, six of which were loaded with polypropyl ...
resulted after seven containers fell overboard from a freighter in waters nearby and about 150 tons of plastic pellets drifted over the sea towards Macao or were washed ashore.


Macau

On July 21 at 18:00 Macao Standard Time (MST) (10:00 UTC) after Vicente had come to within of Macau, the
Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG, ; pt, Direcção dos Serviços Meteorológicos e Geofisicos) is a department of the Macao Government. It provides weather forecasts and issues warnings on weather-related hazards. It also provides ...
, issued the Signal No.1 for the Special Administrative Region. Signal No.3 was hoisted at 6:30am on 23 July in response to the sudden turn of Vicente after a day of stalling. After Vicente intensified into a typhoon and moved further to the north, the Bureau hoisted Signal No. 8 NE at 7:00pm on the same day. Vicente posed a threat of direct hit with its northwest track, but the Bureau did not consider issuing higher signals until the next day. By then, storm-force winds were all over the region, with 10-minute sustained winds reaching hurricane level on the 3 bridges. As Vicente started its direct hit on Macau, and the 3 bridges recorded hurricane, the Bureau finally announced at 1:12am on 24 July, that the bureau would switch for a higher signal in 2 to 3 hours. The Bureau hoisted the Signal No. 9 at 2:15am, which was the first one since Typhoon York in 1999, as well as the first issuance after the transfer of sovereignty over Macau. Vicente skirted at 40 km south-southwest of Macau at 3:00am, which marked the closest point of approach to the region, and proved that Vicente was closer to Macau than Hong Kong. Despite recording hurricane in the region, as well as Vicente being closer to Macau, Signal No. 10 was not hoisted, which led to controversy along with the late issuance of Signal No. 9. As Vicente made landfall at Taishan, Guangdong, Signal No. 9 lasted for less than 3 hours, and was changed to Signal No. 8 SE at 5:00am, which was subsequently switched to Signal No. 3 at 9:30am. All signals were lowered at 4:20pm on the same day.


China

Striking
Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
as a severe typhoon, according to
China Meteorological Agency The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) is the national weather service of the People's Republic of China. The institution is located in Beijing. History The agency was originally established in December 1949 as the Central Military Commi ...
, Vicente caused considerable damage in the region. Strong winds from the storm destroyed 500 homes and damaged 13,600 hectares (33,600 acres) of crops. Approximately 500,000 people were affected by the storm, of which 75,000 were evacuated and in need of assistance. In
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
, high winds from the typhoon damaged about 115,000 trees, of which 30,000 were downed. Many of these fell on buildings and cars, causing additional damage. According to post-storm surveys, at least 2,770 cars were damaged or destroyed in the city, with losses amounting to Â¥13.2 million (US$2.1 million). Eight hundred properties reported storm-related damage with total losses exceeding CNY 50 million yuan (US$7.82 million). Throughout the province, three people were killed and economic losses reached Â¥1.08 billion (US$169 million). Although the storm had weakened considerably by the time it moved into
Guangxi Province Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( ...
, heavy rains associated with it triggered damaging floods. A total of 1,886 homes were destroyed and 18,690 hectares (46,100 acres) of crops were damaged. Losses throughout the province reached Â¥92.1 million (US$14.4 million). In neighboring
Guizhou Province Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...
heavy rains exacerbated ongoing floods and resulted in four fatalities. More than 400 homes were destroyed, 17,800 hectares (44,000 acres) of crops were damaged, and economic losses reached CNY 130 million (US$20.3 million). In all, 11 people were killed in China, and the total economic losses were counted to be Â¥2.05 billion (US$321 million).


Vietnam

The remnants of Typhoon Vicente moved into northeastern Vietnam and caused heavy rain within the area, with various areas recording storm rainfall totals off between . This resulted in landslides and significant flash floods within the Red and Thai Binh rivers and landslides. Throughout the country, 21 people were killed and 15 others were left injured. 342 homes were destroyed and 10,436 homes were partially damaged. Total damage were amounted to be 642 billion đồng (US$29.9 million).


See also

*
Typhoon Wanda (1962) Typhoon Wanda was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record in Hong Kong. It was the 59th disturbance in the record-breaking 1962 Pacific typhoon season, forming in August east of the Philippines. Typhoon Wanda reached peak winds of 175& ...
*
Typhoon Shirley (1968) The 1968 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1968, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when ...
* Typhoon Hope (1979) * Typhoon Ellen (1983) * Typhoon Becky (1993) * Typhoon York (1999) *
Typhoon Koppu (2009) Typhoon Koppu, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Nando was a typhoon which struck China in September 2009. Meteorological history On September 9, an area of convectional cloudiness associated with the monsoon trough formed to the northwes ...
*
Typhoon Hato Typhoon Hato, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Isang, was a strong tropical cyclone that struck South China in August 2017. Developing as the thirteenth named storm and the fourth typhoon of the Pacific typhoon season, Hato fo ...
*
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 Lu ...


References


External links


JMA General Information
of Typhoon Vicente (1208) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Data
of Typhoon Vicente (1208)
JTWC Best Track Data
of Typhoon 09W (Vicente)
09W.VICENTE
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Latest humanitarian response information via ReliefWeb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vicente (2012) 2012 Pacific typhoon season 2012 disasters in the Philippines Typhoons in the Philippines Typhoons in China Typhoons in Hong Kong 2012 disasters in China 2012 in Hong Kong 2012 in Vietnam 2012 in Laos Typhoons
Vicente Vicente is an Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer"). Vicente may refer to: Location *São Vicente, Cap ...