Typhoon Vanessa

Typhoon Vanessa, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Toyang, was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 1984 Pacific typhoon season, and one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record. The 22nd named storm, twelfth typhoon, and first super typhoon of the 1984 Pacific typhoon season.

Typhoon Vanessa (Toyang)
Vanessa after peak intensity on October 28
Meteorological history
FormedOctober 22, 1984
ExtratropicalOctober 30, 1984
DissipatedOctober 30, 1984
Violent typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds220 km/h (140 mph)
Lowest pressure880 hPa (mbar); 25.99 inHg
Category 5-equivalent tropical cyclone
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds285 km/h (180 mph)
Overall effects
Fatalities63 total
Damage$1.7 million
Areas affected
Part of the 1984 Pacific typhoon season

Meteorological history
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

This system formed in the near equatorial trough southeast of Ponape on October 20. The system moved northwest to just north of Ponape as it slowly developed. The disturbance strengthened into a tropical depression by October 22 and a tropical storm October 23. On the next day, Vanessa strengthened into a minimal typhoon.[1]

Moving west-northwest, Vanessa began to explosively intensify on October 25, becoming a super typhoon two days later. Super Typhoon Vanessa continued to intensify throughout the day, reaching maximum sustained wind speeds of 190 miles per hour (310 km/h) over the open waters of the West of the Philippines. At its peak, it had a pressure of 880 mb, which makes it tied as the 6th most intense tropical cyclone on record, behind Ida of 1958 only 10 millibars higher than the record-setting Typhoon Tip of 1979 later that day. Its central pressure fell 100 mb in 48 hours, which was at a near record pace. The intense cyclone recurved to the northeast on October 27 and October 28 as a cold front approached from the northwest. Vanessa slowly weakened and began to merge with the frontal boundary, becoming a storm-force extratropical cyclone late on October 30 before getting absorbed by the front later that day.[1]

Impact
Most intense Pacific typhoons
Typhoon Season Pressure
hPa inHg
1 Tip 1979 870 25.7
2 June 1975 875 25.8
Nora 1973
4 Forrest 1983 876[2] 25.9
5 Ida 1958 877 25.9
6 Rita 1978 878 26.0
7 Kit 1966 880 26.0
Vanessa 1984
9 Nancy 1961 882 26.4
10 Irma 1971 884 26.1
11 Nina 1953 885 26.1
Joan 1959
Megi 2010
Source: JMA Typhoon Best Track Analysis
Information for the North Western Pacific Ocean.[3]

As a minimal typhoon, Vanessa moved about 165 kilometres (103 mi) south of Guam, where winds gusted to 59 knots (109 km/h) on Nimitz Hill. Damage on the island totaled US$1.7 million (1984 dollars, US$4.98 million in 2023), mainly to the banana crop.[1]

Though the storm did not directly impact the Philippines, its outer bands triggered flooding that killed 63 people.[4]

References
  1. Joint Typhoon Warning Center; Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (1987). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1984 (PDF) (Report). United States Navy, United States Air Force. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  2. "World Tropical Cyclone Records". World Meteorological Organization. Arizona State University. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. Japan Meteorological Agency. "RSMC Best Track Data (Text)" (TXT).
  4. "Destructive Typhoons 1970-2003". National Disaster Coordinating Council. November 9, 2004. Archived from the original on November 9, 2004. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
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