Typhoon Mangkhut
Typhoon Mangkhut, named Ompong by PAGASA, was a powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that caused extensive damage in Guam, the Philippines, and South China in mid-September 2018. It was the strongest typhoon to strike Luzon since Megi in 2010, and the strongest to make landfall in the Philippines since Meranti in 2016. Mangkhut was also the strongest typhoon to affect Hong Kong since Ellen in 1983.
Mangkhut, named after the Thai word for the mangosteen fruit, was the thirty-second tropical depression, twenty-second tropical storm, ninth typhoon, and fourth super typhoon of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season. It made landfall in Baggao, Cagayan late on September 14, as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, and subsequently impacted Hong Kong and southern China. Mangkhut was also the third-strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2018.
Over the course of its existence, Mangkhut left behind a trail of severe destruction in its wake. The storm caused a total of $3.77 billion in damage across multiple nations, along with at least 134 fatalities: 127 in the Philippines, six in mainland China, and one in Taiwan.
Meteorological history
On September 5, 2018, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began monitoring a tropical disturbance near the International Date Line. Steady development ensued over the following days, and the system organized into a tropical depression on September 6, though operationally, the Japan Meteorological Agency did not classify the system as a tropical depression until September 7. The depression soon intensified into a tropical storm, upon which it received the name Mangkhut. Throughout the next two days, the system underwent rapid intensification. Tight banding features wrapped around a developing eye feature. Favorable environmental conditions hastened Mangkhut's development, including low wind shear, ample outflow aloft, high sea surface temperatures, and high ocean heat content. Mangkhut achieved typhoon strength on September 9. A well-defined eye became evident on satellite imagery as the typhoon approached the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The JTWC analyzed Mangkhut as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon with one-minute sustained winds of as it tracked near Rota, around 12:00 UTC on September 10. The JMA assessed the storm's ten-minute sustained winds to be at this time.Substantial intensification ensued on September 11, as Mangkhut traversed the Philippine Sea. A second bout of rapid intensification took place as the storm consolidated significantly; a well-defined eye became established during this time. The JTWC analyzed Mangkhut to have reached Category 5-equivalent intensity by 06:00 UTC, an intensity it would maintain for nearly four days. The JMA assessed that the typhoon's central pressure bottomed out at 18:00 UTC, with 10-minute sustained winds of and a central minimum pressure of 905 hPa. The JTWC noted additional strengthening on September 12, and assessed Mangkhut to have reached its peak intensity at 18:00 UTC, with one-minute sustained winds of. The typhoon made landfall in Baggao, Cagayan at 2:00 a.m. PST on September 15, as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, with 10-minute sustained winds of and 1-minute sustained winds of. This made Mangkhut the strongest storm to strike the island of Luzon since Typhoon Megi in 2010, and the strongest nationwide since Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
Traversing the mountains of Luzon weakened Mangkhut before it emerged over the South China Sea on September 15. The typhoon subsequently made landfall again on the Taishan coast of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China, at 5 p.m. Beijing Time on September 16, with two-minute sustained winds of according to China Meteorological Administration. Following landfall, Mangkhut quickly weakened while moving westward. Late on September 17, Mangkhut dissipated over Guangxi, China.
Preparations
Philippines
Tropical cyclone warning signals were hoisted by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration as early as September 13. Preemptive and forced evacuations were implemented, especially in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera administrative regions, the three regions widely expected to be severely affected by Mangkhut. School class suspensions were announced as early as September 12 in preparation for the approaching typhoon. Medical and emergency response teams were placed on standby, and worth of relief goods were prepared by September 13.Highest Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal
Hong Kong
On September 12, as Mangkhut was forecast to severely threaten Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Government convened an inter-departmental meeting to discuss possible responses to the storm.On September 14, the Hong Kong Government held a rare cross-department press conference over the preparation for Mangkhut, reminding Hong Kong citizens to "prepare for the worst". That night, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Standby Signal No. 1 when Mangkhut was away from Hong Kong, the farthest distance on record.
On September 15, citizens living in Tai O and Lei Yue Mun were evacuated from these low-lying areas that have historically been very prone to storm surge. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 in the afternoon.
On September 16, as Mangkhut maintained its course towards the Pearl River Estuary, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 during midnight. After dawn, as local winds rapidly strengthened, Hong Kong Observatory issued the Increasing Gale or Storm Signal No. 9. At 9:40 a.m., the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Hurricane Signal No. 10, the highest level of tropical cyclone warning signals in Hong Kong. This marked only the third time that this warning has been issued for the region since 1999, the others being with Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Vicente in 2012. The signal was held for ten hours, the second longest duration ever, only behind the eleven hours during Typhoon York in 1999. The typhoon passed 100 kilometers south of Hong Kong at its closest, the joint second farthest for a Hurricane Signal No. 10, with Typhoon Vicente only behind 2025's Typhoon Ragasa.
Mainland China
On September 15, the meteorological bureaus of most cities in Guangdong issued red alerts for Typhoon Mangkhut, which is the highest level of alerts in Guangdong. The Guangxi Meteorological Bureau also issued a red alert for the typhoon at 5:00 p.m. Beijing Time. On the next day, the Meteorological Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality issued a red alert for rainstorm, which is the highest level of alerts in Shenzhen.The Fujian Meteorological Bureau issued an orange alert for the typhoon, the second-highest alert level, on September 15.
On September 16, National Meteorological Center of CMA renewed a red alert for Typhoon Mangkhut, which is the highest level of alerts in China. On the same day, the Hainan Meteorological Bureau issued an orange alert for the typhoon. In Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou, schools, public transportation, and businesses were closed across the entire city for the first time since 1978.
Impact
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
After the center of Mangkhut passed near Guam, about 80% of the island lost electricity. The typhoon caused $4.3 million in infrastructural damage in Guam.Philippines
After sweeping through Luzon, it left a trail of destruction. Almost all buildings in Tuguegarao, Cagayan's provincial capital experienced some sort of damage due to the typhoon. The typhoon blew away roofs, uprooted trees, destroyed buildings, and blocked roads with debris. Shards of glass was blown through the corridors in a hotel in Santa Ana. In Manila, extreme rains caused widespread flooding in urban areas. A tornado was reported in Marikina, eastern Metro Manila, at around 5:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time on September 14, injuring two people. Over 105,000 families evacuated from their homes, and several airports in northern Luzon closed and airlines cancelled their flights until September 16.On September 22, police confirmed that the typhoon had caused at least 127 fatalities; eighty deaths occurred in the collapse of a small mine in the town of Itogon, Benguet, where dozens of landslides buried homes. Philippine police also stated that another 111 people remained missing, as of September 22.
Francis Tolentino, a political adviser of President Rodrigo Duterte, announced that an estimated 5.7 million people nationwide had been affected by the storm. Luzon suffered extensive losses which more than doubled the expected worst-case scenario outlined by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
As of October 5, the NDRRMC estimated that Mangkhut caused PHP33.9 billion in damages in the Philippines, with assessments continuing.
Malaysia
The tail winds from Mangkhut also affected some parts of Malaysia.Taiwan
A thirty-year-old female teacher visiting Fenniaolin Beach in Yilan County was swept out to sea by a wave. Her body was recovered two days later.Hong Kong
Mangkhut was the most intense typhoon to strike Hong Kong since Typhoon Ellen in 1983; the highest typhoon warning signal No. 10 remained in place for ten hours. An hourly mean wind of and gusts up to were recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, while on Cheung Chau island these figures reached 157 and respectively. The strongest winds in Hong Kong near sea level were recorded at the remote Waglan Island, with ten-minute sustained winds of gusting up to 220 km/h . These winds caused the territory's many skyscrapers to sway and shattered glass windows; notably, the curtain walls of the Harbour Grand Kowloon were blown out by the winds. A construction elevator shaft on a high-rise under construction in Tai Kok Tsui collapsed onto an adjacent building, which had to be evacuated by police. Many roads were blocked by fallen trees and other debris, including major arteries such as Lockhart Road in Wan Chai and Kam Sheung Road, and service on the Mass Transit Railway was halted on all above-ground sections of track.File:People climb over trees to go to work the morning after Typhoon Mangkhut near Immigration Tower in Wan Chai.jpg|left|thumb|People climb over trees to go to work the morning after Typhoon Mangkhut near Immigration Tower in Wan Chai
Serious flooding was reported in many seaside residential areas, including Heng Fa Chuen, Tseung Kwan O South, Shek O, Lei Yue Mun, villages in Tuen Mun and the fishing village of Tai O, due to a powerful storm surge of up to.
In Sai Kung, multiple yachts and boats were sunk with one in particular pushed by the storm and beached next to a pedestrian promenade. Strings of seafront fence blocks were wrecked by the power of the waves. A sewage treatment plant was damaged. Animals were left stranded in the ocean.
About 1,219 people sought refuge in emergency shelters opened by the Home Affairs Department. The Hong Kong International Airport cancelled and delayed a total of 889 international flights. More than 200 people were injured, but no fatalities were reported. Due to the substantial damage and disruption caused by the typhoon, the Education Bureau announced that all schools would be closed on September 17 and 18. Insurance claims in Hong Kong amounted to HK$7.3 billion.
The day after the storm, massive crowds filled the territory's MTR system, which operated at a reduced level of service on some lines as some sections of the tracks had been blocked by debris. Most of the city's 600 bus routes also went out of service due to blocked roads.