Typhoon Rammasun

Post Landfall 4 | Summary
Posting Date: July 24, 2014, 1:30:00 PM

Typhoon Rammasun made its final landfall just east of the China/Vietnam border on July 19, triggering heavy floods that destroyed 6,000 homes and 3,300 hectares of rice and other crops in the region. A storm-induced landslide blocked roads and there were at least 18 fatalities in the landfall region as a result of the storm.

In its wake, Rammasun left damage all along its path as it made a total of four landfalls in the countries of the Philippines, China and Vietnam. The storm weakened with each landfall, but then re-strengthened as it has moved over warm waters, which are greater than 30°C over much of the South China Sea. Prior to making its third landfall in Hainan, Rammasun featured a highly organized structure, typical of extremely strong typhoons.

Rammasun was one of the strongest storms to pass near Hainan Island in recorded history. Using Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) intensity estimates for all typhoons passing within 1-degree of Hainan Island during the period 1951-2013, Rammasun is tied for the most intense storm from a minimum central pressure standpoint (940 mb) and tied for the second most intense from a maximum sustained wind speed (160 km/h) perspective. Utilizing data from the Shanghai Typhoon Institute for the years 1949-2012, Rammasun is tied for the strongest storm from a wind perspective.    

Reported Damage

Typhoon Rammasun brought flooding rains and damaging winds to nearly ten million residents of the southern China provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Flooding from typhoons is a major threat to southern China as much of the population is located near waterways and along the coast, putting many homes and businesses at risk. Houses in these coastal locations are commonly confined masonry or reinforced concrete with clay tile roofs, which do, however, perform reasonably well in the face of typhoon winds.

Rammasun’s effects included damaged roads, ports, cut electricity and water supplies, and hampered rescue efforts. At least 46 people were killed, 25 more are missing, and tens of thousands of homes were destroyed as a result of the storm. Over 600,000 people were evacuated. In Hainan, 51,000 houses and 40,600 hectares (100,300 acres) of crops were destroyed. There were also 14 fatalities and 11 missing persons as a result of a mudslide in a Yunnan village early Monday.

Event sets and a windspeed Shapefile are available to ALERT subscribers on the downloads tab.

Post Landfall 4 | Downloads
Posting Date: July 24, 2014, 1:30:00 PM