Tropical Storm Talas (2017)
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Severe Tropical Storm Talas was a
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...
that affected
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
in mid-July 2017. The storm was first identified as a tropical disturbance over the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
on July 13 and was upgraded to a tropical depression the following day. On July 15, the depression intensified into a named storm of the
2017 Pacific typhoon season The 2017 Pacific typhoon season was a below-average season in terms of accumulated cyclone energy and the number of typhoons and super typhoons, and the first since the 1977 Pacific typhoon season, 1977 season to not produce a Category 5-eq ...
. Before making landfall in
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, Talas reached its peak intensity as a severe tropical storm on July 16. It weakened to an
area of low pressure In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...
on July 17 as it moved inland. Throughout Vietnam, the storm resulted in 14 fatalities and damaged approximately 2,700 homes. Rough seas caused about 50 boats to sink. Nearly of vegetable fields, around of aquaculture, and of rice and other subsidiary crops were affected. The storm caused an estimated US$8.8 million in damages in
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
, China, increased rainfall in
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
and
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, and triggered landslides and flooding in parts of Central and Northern
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
.


Meteorological history

Talas originated from an area of convection, positioned between two north-south oriented ridges. On July 13, 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) began monitoring a tropical disturbance located approximately southeast of
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
,
Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
. The
Japan Meteorological Agency The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...
(JMA) classified the system as a weak tropical depression at around 06:00 UTC on July 14, as it started to move slowly towards the northwest at a speed of . Six hours later, the JMA issued advisories stating that the system was producing 10-minute sustained winds of at least . The JMA then upgraded it to a tropical storm, assigning it the name ''Talas''. The 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 formi ...
at 02:30 UTC on July 15, after satellite imagery depicted deep
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
wrapping into its developing
low-level circulation center The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of a tropical cyclone. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weath ...
and a favorable environment for further development in
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
, China. As convective banding improved, the JTWC downgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression by midday on July 15. The JTWC upgraded it to a tropical storm after recording Dvorak estimates of T2.5, indicating 1-minute sustained winds of . On July 16, Talas gradually intensified as it became better organized due to a favorable environment consisting of low to moderate northeasterly vertical
wind shear Wind shear (; also written 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 ...
and good
outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star * Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system *Outflow ...
to the south. At 09:00 UTC, the JMA upgraded the storm to a severe tropical storm after it attained 10-minute sustained winds of and a minimum barometric pressure of , reaching its peak intensity. At the same time, the JTWC recorded one-minute sustained peak winds of while trailing along Hainan. Shortly thereafter, Talas began to weaken due to land interaction and the JMA downgraded the system back to a tropical storm. Around 18:00 UTC, the storm made landfall in
Central Vietnam Central Vietnam ( or ), also known as Middle Vietnam or The Middle, formerly known as by the State of Vietnam, by the Republic of Vietnam, or '' Annam'' under French colonial rule, is one of the three geographical regions within Vietnam. Th ...
, near the city of
Vinh Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
. Three hours later, the JTWC issued their final advisory on Talas as it continued to degrade while progressing inland. Early in the following day, when the weakening storm was located over the northern portion of
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, the JMA issued their final advisory as well.


Preparations and impact


Vietnam

On July 15, meteorologists expected heavy rainfall from Talas. The storm made landfall near
Vinh Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
at around 18:00 UTC on July 16 as a moderate tropical storm. Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting recorded wind gusts up to , causing damage in Nghệ An,
Thanh Hóa Thanh Hóa () is the capital of Thanh Hóa Province. The city is situated in the east of the province on the Ma River (Sông Mã), about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of capital Hanoi and 1560 kilometers (969 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh Cit ...
and
Hà Tĩnh Hà Tĩnh () is a city in Vietnam.Atlas of the World', Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 236. It is the capital of Hà Tĩnh Province, and lies in the North Central Coast region. It is located on National Highway 1A. The Vietnamese capital Han ...
provinces. Over of rain fell in the central and northern parts of the country in the two days before landfall, while the capital,
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
, received . Talas caused 14 deaths; damaged around 3,000 homes; and sank 50 boats. Power lines in three provinces were damaged as a result of the storm. The storm destroyed approximately of vegetable fields, of aquaculture farms, and of rice and subsidiary crops were. The storm resulted in approximately (approximately
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
70.4 million). The total cost of other damages was estimated at (US$109 million). Damages in Nghệ An were reported to reach up to (approximately US$43.7 million). The storm sank a coal ship late on July 16; only three of the thirteen people on board were rescued. Seven people were injured in
Quảng Bình province Quảng Bình was formerly a southern coastal Provinces of Vietnam, province in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Việt Nam, Vietnam. It borders Hà Tĩnh province, Hà Tĩnh to the north, Quảng Trị province, ...
, where fishing boats also washed ashore on waves as high as . The national guard rescued a boat carrying eight weather officials after the storm. On July 17, flooded streets and disrupted train services stranded more than 4,000 passengers in the capital. Railway services from Hanoi to Vinh were canceled while trains from Hanoi to
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
were delayed by five to seven hours. The storm caused multiple severe traffic jams, and capsized a ship, injuring seven people. Eight flights were cancelled by the airline
VietJet Air Vietjet Aviation Joint Stock Company (), operating as VietJet Air or Vietjet, is a Vietnamese low-cost airline based in Hanoi. It was the first privately owned airline to be established in Vietnam, being granted its initial approval to operate ...
and other airlines cancelled an additional ten. In response to the storm, the Irrigation Department ordered every district to have an irrigation office and/or adding pumps.


Hainan

On July 22, China's National Observatory issued a "blue alert" to
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
province and the
Beibu Gulf The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern coas ...
. About 22,901 fishing boats were moved and 39,425 people working at sea farms were evacuated to
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
province. As the storm neared the coast, winds of were recorded around the
Lingshui Li Autonomous County Língshuǐ Li Autonomous County is an autonomous county in Hainan, China. It is one of the six Autonomous areas of China, autonomous counties of Hainan with a postal code of 572400, and in 1999 a population of 318,691, largely made up of the Li p ...
. Southern portions of the province received rainfall of and tourists were stranded on a remote island off the coast of Guangdong. Total economic losses in Hainan Province reached (approximately US$3.5 million) and (approximately US$8.8 million) in China overall.


Other areas

Laos, Myanmar and Thailand received strong winds and heavy rains. Rainfall increased in Thailand between 15 and 18 July, reaching a peak of on 17 July in the Phu Phiang district of Nan province. Three districts flooded as a result of rivers overflowing in Nan province, including the
Nan River The Nan River (, , ; , ) is a river in Thailand. It is one of the most important tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. Geography The Nan River originates in the Luang Prabang Range, Nan Province. The provinces along the river after Nan Prov ...
. The storm passed over the Laotian provinces of
Xiangkhouang Xiangkhouang ( Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ, meaning 'Horizontal City') is a province of Laos on the Xiangkhoang Plateau, in the nation's northeast. The province has the distinction of being the most heavily-bombed place on Earth. Historically, ...
, Xaysomboun and Bolikhamsai early in the morning of 17 July. On that and the following day, the rain caused landslides and flash floods in areas of Central and Northern Laos.


See also

*
Weather of 2017 The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2017. Summary by weather type Winter storms and cold waves Winter weather in 2017 kicked off January 4–8, 2017 North American winter storm, with a winter storm from January 4-8. Th ...
*
Tropical cyclones in 2017 During 2017 tropical cyclones formed within seven different tropical cyclone basins, located within various parts of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. During the year, a total of 146 tropical cyclones had formed. 88 tropical cyclones h ...
* Other tropical cyclones named Talas *
Typhoon Cary (1987) Typhoon Cary, known as Typhoon Ising in the Philippines, was the second of two tropical cyclones to affect Vietnam in a week. An area of disturbed weather developed southwest of Pohnpei on August 6, 1987. The system initially remained disorg ...
*
Tropical Storm Mekkhala (2008) Tropical Storm Mekkhala was recognised as the 16th Tropical Storm of the 2008 Pacific typhoon season by the Japan Meteorological Agency who are the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre for the North Western Pacific Ocean. The Joint Typhoon ...
* Tropical Storm Nock-ten (2011) *
Typhoon Wutip (2013) Typhoon Wutip, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Paolo, was a Category 3 major typhoon that affected Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand in late September 2013. The nineteenth named storm and the fifth typhoon of the 2013 Pacific typhoon s ...


References


External links


JMA General Information
of Severe Tropical Storm Talas (1704) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Data
of Severe Tropical Storm Talas (1704)
06W.TALAS
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory {{DEFAULTSORT:Talas (2017) 2017 disasters in Vietnam 2017 Pacific typhoon season July 2017 in Asia Typhoons in Vietnam Western Pacific severe tropical storms Talas