Typhoon Lynn (1987)
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Typhoon Lynn, more commonly known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pepang, was a
typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
that was responsible for the worst flooding in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
in 40 years. Typhoon Lynn originated from an area of disturbed weather in the central north Pacific in mid-October 1987. On October 15, the system was upgraded into a tropical storm. Moving west-northwest, it slowly deepened over the next few days, though the intensification process briefly stopped on October 15. Two days later, Lynn was upgraded into a typhoon, while passing northwest of
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
. Lynn maintained low-end typhoon strength until October 19, when the storm began to rapidly intensify. On October 21, Lynn attained its peak intensity while tracking towards the west. Weakening then commenced soon after Lynn interacted with
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 ...
. However, the core of the typhoon remained well offshore both the Philippines and Taiwan. On October 25, Lynn weakened to a severe tropical storm. Three days later, it dissipated, though its remains later brought rain to China. While passing near Guam, power was knocked out and 40 residents were evacuated. Throughout the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
, 15 families were rendered homeless and damage totaled $2 million (1987 
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
). After brushing Luzon, seven people perished, over 30,000 homes were damaged, 100 houses were destroyed, and 7,000 individuals were left homeless. Damage in the Philippines totaled to $25.3 million. Even though Lynn passed a bit south of Taiwan, the storm brought widespread damage to the nation. Nine children were swept away and killed on a field trip, while another 72 survived and were evacuated. In
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
, 13 persons perished and 2,230 people were rescued. Lynn was considered the worst tropical cyclone to affect the city in four decades. Nationwide, 168,000 people lost power and 42 casualties occurred.


Meteorological history

Typhoon Lynn originated from a broad, poorly organized area of convection situated within the
monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...
roughly north-northeast of the
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...
in the middle of October 1987. 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) started monitoring the system on October 14, and later that day, 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) followed suit. Following an increase in convection and
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 ...
, 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 ...
(TCFA) for the system at 0300 UTC on October 15 about north-northwest of
Pohnpei Pohnpei (formerly known as Ponape or Ascension, from Pohnpeian: "upon (''pohn'') a stone altar (''pei'')") is an island of the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group. It belongs to Pohnpei State, one of the fou ...
of the eastern
Carolina Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...
at the time. Three hours later, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Storm Lynn based on Dvorak estimates of . At midday, the JMA followed suit and upgraded the system into a tropical storm. Tracking along the southern periphery of a
subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...
, the cyclone decelerated. Lynn gradually intensified, though this process briefly halted on October 17. Early the next day, the JMA reported that Lynn had deepened into a severe tropical storm. Shortly thereafter, radar data and satellite imagery revealed the formation of an
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
in diameter, and thus the JTWC upgraded Lynn into a typhoon, though post-storm analysis noted that Lynn could have been a typhoon before then. Also around this time, the JMA designated Lynn as a typhoon. At midday, Lynn made its closest approach to
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, passing around northeast of the island. Three hours later, Lynn passed southwest of
Tinian Tinian () is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the four constituent municipalities of the Northern ...
before proceeding west-northwest. After moving away from the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
, Lynn initially maintained its intensity, but on August 19, it began to rapidly intensify. Later that day, the JTWC upgraded Lynn to a
super typhoon Since 1947, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has classified all typhoons in the Tropical cyclone basins#Northwestern Pacific Ocean, Northwestern Pacific Ocean with wind speeds of at least —the equivalent of a strong Category 4 on th ...
and early on August 20, Typhoon Lynn attained winds of according to the JMA. After leveling off in intensity for roughly 24 hours, the JMA estimates that Lynn reached its peak intensity of and a minimum
barometric pressure Atmospheric pressure, also known as air pressure or barometric pressure (after the barometer), is the pressure within the atmosphere of Earth. The standard atmosphere (symbol: atm) is a unit of pressure defined as , which is equivalent to 1,013.2 ...
of . At 0000 UTC on August 21, the JTWC indicated that Lynn reached its peak intensity of , equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. According to the JTWC, Typhoon Lynn was the third typhoon in 1987 to attain such intensity. Meanwhile, 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) also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local name ''Pepang''. Shortly after attaining maximum intensity, Lynn began to track westward while steadily weakening. Initially, the JTWC predicted Lynn to take a more west-northwesterly course, but the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) correctly predicted Lynn to move due west due to a
subtropical ridge The horse latitudes are the latitudes about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are characterized by sunny skies, calm winds, and very little precipitation. They are also known as subtropical ridges or highs. It is a high-pressur ...
situated north of the cyclone. On October 22, the JMA indicated that Lynn leveled off in intensity, though at 0000 UTC on October 23, the cyclone deteriorated slightly. Roughly 24 hours later, the JMA reduced the intensity of Lynn to ; by this time, the typhoon entered the
Luzon Strait The Luzon Strait (Tagalog: ''Kipot ng Luzon'', ) is the strait between Luzon and Taiwan. The strait thereby connects the Philippine Sea to the South China Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. This body of water is an important strait for shipp ...
s. Over the next two days, Lynn interacted with mountainous terrain of the Philippines; however, at its closest approach, the core of the system remained over offshore. Meanwhile, the weakening process accelerated, and on October 25, the JMA reported that Lynn was no longer a typhoon. Furthermore, the storm exited PAGASA's warning zone. Increased
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 ...
took toll on Lynn, and the next day,
satellite imagery Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
indicated that all of the storm's deep convection was confined north-northeast of the center. At 0000 UTC on October 27, the JTWC ceased watching the system, though the JMA continued tracking it until the morning of August 28. The remnants of the storm later brought showers to China.


Impact


Mariana Islands

Although the eye of Lynn passed just offshore Guam, it brought violent conditions to the island. There, a maximum sustained wind speed of and a peak wind gust of was recorded in Agana. Moreover, of rain fell at a nearby air force base. Power was briefly knocked out for the entire island, though by October 20, electricity had been restored to most of the island. Around 40 residents were evacuated to shelter along low-lying areas. Several homes sustained serious damages while many others suffered roof damage. The banana and papaya crops were largely destroyed by the typhoon, but damage to other crops was minimal. No one in Guam was injured by Lynn. After passing near
Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...
, winds of and gusts of were observed. All commercial flights to and from the island, as well as all schools and government offices, were cancelled on both October 19 and 20. Both Saipan and Rota experienced island-wide power outages on the evening of October 18. Saipan bore the most significant effects from the cyclone; four people were hurt and two homes were destroyed. Several homes and office buildings on the island were also damaged. Elsewhere, around 10 families fled to shelter as a result of strong winds. Although damage in Rota was minor, the island of
Tinian Tinian () is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the four constituent municipalities of the Northern ...
received considerable damage and all of the island's 2,000 residents were briefly left without electricity. Heavy rains resulted in flooding that destroyed several dwellings and deluged many more. Throughout the Mariana Islands, agriculture damage was estimated at $2 million (1987 
USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
) and 15 families were displaced from their homes. Roughly 100 people sought help from the Red Cross. A few weeks later, the Northern Marianas Islands were declared a major disaster area by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...
(FEMA).


Philippines

On October 23, most of
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 ...
was placed under
weather alert A weather warning or weather alert is issued by a meteorological agency to warn citizens of approaching dangerous weather. A weather watch, on the other hand, typically refers to an alert issued to indicate that conditions are favorable for the d ...
s. Due to the threat of both
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
and high waves, low-lying residents were advised to evacuate their homes. A total of five towns were flooded in
Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...
and
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 ...
provinces, while Lynn triggered landslides in
Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the island of Luzon. Its capital cit ...
. In the mountain resort of
Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...
City, communication and power lines sustained damage and many roads outside of Manila were destroyed; over 200 homes were damaged and 100 others were demolished. Nationwide, 79 people were hurt and 31,557 homes were partially damaged, while 18,396 were "totally" damaged. Furthermore, around 6,000 were rendered homeless and seven fatalities occurred. Damage totaled $25.3 million, mostly due to public infrastructure and agriculture.


Taiwan

In preparation for Lynn, typhoon warnings were issued. Despite not striking the country directly, Typhoon Lynn brought torrential rains to much of the island from October 24–26, including a maximum of in
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
. Two fourth graders and seven third graders were swept out to sea due to waves while on a field trip in Maopitou, a scenic spot in
Kenting National Park Kenting National Park ( zh, c=墾丁國家公園, hp=Kěndīng Gúojiā Gōngyuán}), commonly known as Kenting ( zh, c=墾丁, hp=Kěndīng), is a national park located on the Hengchun Peninsula of Pingtung County, Taiwan, covering Hengchun, ...
. However, on October 24, the bodies of two girls and a boy were found near
Hengchun Hengchun is a Township (Taiwan), township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung Coun ...
while the remaining were presumed dead. The other 72 students on the trip were safely evacuated. Elsewhere, a 31-year-old man was killed due to falling debris in Hualien. Two people were killed and four others were buried in Keelung, where several cargo containers were swept offshore. Damage in Keelung totaled $5 million. In Pingtung, 30,000 houses were flooded. Across northern Taiwan, nine people were killed. In
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
, torrential rains deluged the city and resulted in landslides that destroyed numerous dwellings and took 13 lives. Citywide, 2,230 people were rescued by police, while after supply in the capital was cut by 75%. In all, Lynn was considered the worst system to affect Taipei in 40 years. Throughout the island, domestic flights and train service was cancelled. At the northern port of
Ilan Ilan may refer to: Organization *ILAN, Israeli umbrella organization for the treatment of disabled children Given name *Ilan (name), a Hebrew/Israeli name *Ilan Bakhar, a retired Israeli footballer *Ilan Araújo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footballer ...
, about 60 fishing boats were lost. Three fishermen were rescued after their boat capsized. A total of 168,000 people lost power at some point during the storm's passage, though by October 27 power was restored to all but 88,000. Overall, 42 people were killed nationwide.


See also

*
List of wettest tropical cyclones This is a list of the wettest tropical cyclones, listing all tropical cyclones known to have dropped at least of precipitation on a single location. Data is most complete for Australia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Yap, Chuu ...
*
Typhoon Zeb Typhoon Zeb, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Iliang, was a powerful typhoon that struck the island of Luzon in October 1998. It is tied with Cyclone Ron and Cyclone Susan in terms of minimum pressure, for the most intense tropical cyc ...
* Typhoon Ruby (1988) *
Typhoon Yutu Typhoon Yutu, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rosita, was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone that caused catastrophic destruction on the islands of Tinian and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and later impacted the Philippines. ...


References


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynn (1987) 1987 Pacific typhoon season Typhoons in Guam Typhoons in the Philippines Typhoons in the Northern Mariana Islands Typhoons in Taiwan Lynn