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Tropical Storm Soudelor, known in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
as Tropical Depression Gorio, was a weak
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 led to deadly
flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...
in the Philippines,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
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 2009. Forming out of an area of low pressure on July 9, Soudelor failed to maintain 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 ...
around its center for the duration of its existence. On July 10, the depression brushed the northern Philippines and intensified into a tropical storm on July 11. Later that day, the storm crossed the
Leizhou Peninsula The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China. As of 2015, the population of the peninsula was 5,694,245. The largest city by population and ...
. The last public advisory from the JMA was issued the following day after Soudelor made landfall in southern China. In the Philippines, Soudelor produced severe flooding that killed one person and resulted in the issuance of a state of calamity. The storm later killed 15 people in southern China after a group of
hiker A hike is a long, vigorous walking, walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer tim ...
s were washed away in a flash flood on
Hainan Island Hainan is an island 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 means "South of the Sea ...
. In Vietnam,
rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. ...
up to caused widespread flooding, and
lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
triggered by the storm killed two people in the country.


Meteorological history

Late on 7 July 2009, 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) reported that an area of disturbed weather had formed 900 km (560 mi) to the northwest of
Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...
. 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 ...
was embedded in a broad, weak, poorly defined circulation that was starting to be enhanced by a
tropical upper tropospheric trough A tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT), also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in the upper-level (at about 200 hPa) tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into ...
to the east of the system. Over the next couple of days, gradual development took place and early on July 9, 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 ...
was issued by the JTWC. Around the same time, the
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (, abbreviated as PAGASA , which means "hope" as in the Tagalog word ''pag-asa'') is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the P ...
(PAGASA) designated the system as a tropical depression, giving it the name ''Gorio''. Later that day both the JMA and the JTWC reported that the depression had formed and started to issue warnings on the depression, with the JTWC designating it as 05W; On July 10, PAGASA issued their final advisory on Tropical Depression Gorio as it moved out of their area of responsibility. Hampered by an unfavorable upper-level environment, the depression barely intensified into a tropical storm early on July 11. Upon becoming a tropical storm, the JMA named the system ''Soudelor'' reporting peak winds of 65 km/h, (40 mph). Later that day the JTWC reported that Soudelor had weakened into a depression; however they re-upgraded it to a tropical storm as it moved closer to
Hainan Province Hainan is an island 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 means "South of the Sea" ...
. Shortly before landfall in
Leizhou Peninsula The Leizhou Peninsula, alternately romanized as the Luichow Peninsula, is a peninsula in the southernmost part of Guangdong province in South China. As of 2015, the population of the peninsula was 5,694,245. The largest city by population and ...
, China, the JTWC downgraded the storm to a tropical depression. After moving back over water in the
Gulf of Tonkin 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 co ...
, the JTWC issued their final advisory on the depression. The JMA, however, continued to monitor Soudelor until it made landfall near
Fangchenggang Fangchenggang ( "Port of Fangcheng") is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. Fangchenggang is the southernmost port in China and is located in Fangcheng. It primarily service ...
, China several hours later.


Preparations and impact


Philippines

The
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (, abbreviated as PAGASA , which means "hope" as in the Tagalog word ''pag-asa'') is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) agency of the P ...
issued public storm signal one for nine regions of the northern Philippines. As a tropical depression, Soudelor brushed northern
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
in the Philippines, producing upwards of of rainfall which resulted in flash flooding and landslides. In
Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...
, major roadways were completely blocked by high waters. The storm affected 19,845 people throughout the Philippines and one person was killed after being swept away by a fast current. At least ten villages were flooded during the storm. Three homes were destroyed and two more were damaged by Soudelor. A total of 42
barangays The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the precolonial polities of the same name, modern barangays are political subdivisio ...
were flooded by the storm, killing 21 cows and isolating low-lying areas. On July 10, a battalion from the army engineers were deployed to the affected region to repair infrastructure. Following the storm, the hardest hit town
Bacarra, Ilocos Norte Bacarra, officially the Municipality of Bacarra (; ) is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,496 people. Geography The Municipality of Bacarra is bounded by the Mu ...
, was put under a state of calamity and regional aid was deployed to the area. Total damage was estimated at PHP 205 million $4.4 (US 2009).


China

In 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 Hong ...
issued standby signal No. 1 as Soudelor neared the region on July 11. The following day, the signal was raised to strong wind No. 3 due to the possibility of landfall near the region. The signal was lowered back to No. 1 later that day before they were all canceled early on July 12. The emergency response system was put at level four water-disaster in preparation for torrential rainfall from Soudelor. A red alert was also declared for the affected regions. Torrential rains 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 ...
caused significant flooding that killed 15 hikers and left several others missing. Numerous roads were also cut off or destroyed by landslides and 30 villages were inundated with flood waters. In Hong Kong, outer bands of Soudelor produced squally rain showers on July 11. About 20 trees reportedly fell within Hong Kong, one of which struck a mini bus terminal. The direct economic loss to china was estimated at about RMB 1.71billion, ($5.4 million 2009 USD).


Vietnam

Ahead of the storm, 4,000 fishing vessels were ordered to return to port and up to 200 volunteers were mobilized to deal with damages from the storm. Officials evacuated people from 297 residences to higher grounds and reported that 977 other homes were in threatened areas. Roughly VND71 billion (US$3.98 million) was set aside by the Government of Vietnam to assist residents in natural disasters, including Soudelor. An estimated 5,000 sandbags and 1,000 cubic meters of canvas were distributed to flood-prone areas. The remnants of Soudelor produced widespread torrential rains in Northern Vietnam on July 13. Rainfall totals peaked at in the region. Heavy rainfall, amounting to , was also recorded in
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 ...
. The capital city experienced flash flooding, inundating numerous streets and buildings. Two men were killed by lightning strikes associated with the storm. Officials reported that at least 13 large trees had been downed by high winds. Flood waters in the hardest-hit areas reached a depth of . One person was killed after being swept away. A
tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
also touched down during the storm, destroying the roofs of three homes. Thousands of hectares of croplands were inundated by flood waters. Following the storm, 1,000 tonnes of rice was allocated for victims of the floods.


See also

* Timeline of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season * Typhoon Molave (2009) * Typhoon Kai-tak (2012) * Tropical Storm Dianmu (2016)


References


External links


JMA General Information
of Tropical Storm Soudelor (0905) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Data
of Tropical Storm Soudelor (0905)
JTWC Best Track Data
of Tropical Storm 05W (Soudelor)
05W.SOUDELOR
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory {{DEFAULTSORT:Soudelor (2009) 2009 Pacific typhoon season 2009 in Vietnam Western Pacific tropical storms Typhoons in China Typhoons in Vietnam Gorio Gorio Tropical cyclones in 2009