Typhoon Mangkhut, 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 Typhoon Ompong, was a powerful and catastrophic
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 caused extensive damage in
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 ...
, 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 ...
, and
South China
South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...
in mid-September 2018. It was the strongest typhoon to strike
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 ...
since
Megi in 2010, and the strongest to make landfall anywhere in the Philippines since
Meranti in 2016.
Mangkhut was also the strongest typhoon to affect Hong Kong since
Ellen
Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen (given name), Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004.
People named Ellen include:
* Elle ...
in 1983.
Mangkhut, named for the
Thai word for the
mangosteen
Mangosteen (''Garcinia mangostana''), also known as the purple mangosteen, is a tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit native to Island Southeast Asia, from the Malay Peninsula to Borneo. It has been cultivated extensively in tropical Asia ...
fruit, was the thirty-second tropical depression, twenty-second tropical storm, ninth typhoon, and fourth
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 ...
of the
2018 Pacific typhoon season
The 2018 Pacific typhoon season was at the time, the costliest Pacific typhoon season on record, until the record was beaten by the following year. The season was well above-average, producing twenty-nine storms (including one that crossed over ...
. It made
landfall
Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
in the Philippine province of
Baggao, Cagayan
Baggao, officially the Municipality of Baggao (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,753 people.
Baggao is ...
late on September 14, as a
Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, and subsequently impacted
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and southern China. Mangkhut was also the third-strongest
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 ...
worldwide in 2018.
Over the course of its existence, Mangkhut left behind a trail of severe destruction in its wake. The storm caused a total of $3.77 billion (2018 US) in damage across multiple nations, along with at least 134 fatalities: 127 in the Philippines,
six in mainland China, and one in Taiwan.
Meteorological history
On September 5, 2018, 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 near the
International Date Line
The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...
. Steady development ensued over the following days, and the system organized into a tropical depression on September 6, though operationally, 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) did not classify the system as a tropical depression until September 7.
The depression soon intensified into a tropical storm, upon which it
received the name ''Mangkhut''.
Throughout the next two days, the system underwent
rapid intensification
Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
. Tight
banding features wrapped around a developing
eye feature. Favorable environmental conditions hastened Mangkhut's development, including low
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 ...
, ample
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 ...
aloft, high
sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...
s, and high
ocean heat content
Ocean heat content (OHC) or ocean heat uptake (OHU) is the energy absorbed and stored by oceans, and is thus an important indicator of global warming. Ocean heat content is calculated by measuring ocean temperature at many different locations and ...
. Mangkhut achieved typhoon strength on September 9.
A well-defined eye became evident on satellite imagery as the typhoon approached the
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...
and
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 ...
. The JTWC analyzed Mangkhut as a Category 2-equivalent typhoon with one-minute sustained winds of as it tracked near
Rota, around 12:00 UTC on September 10. The JMA assessed the storm's ten-minute sustained winds to be at this time.

Substantial intensification ensued on September 11, as Mangkhut traversed the
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a List of seas#Marginal seas by ocean, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean east of the list of islands of the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago (hence the name) and the List of seas#Largest seas ...
. A second bout of rapid intensification took place as the storm consolidated significantly; a well-defined eye became established during this time. The JTWC analyzed Mangkhut to have reached Category 5-equivalent intensity by 06:00 UTC, an intensity it would maintain for nearly four days. The JMA assessed that the typhoon's central pressure bottomed out at 18:00 UTC, with 10-minute sustained winds of and a central minimum pressure of 905 hPa (mbar; 26.73 inHg).
The JTWC noted additional strengthening on September 12, and assessed Mangkhut to have reached its peak intensity at 18:00 UTC, with one-minute sustained winds of . The typhoon made landfall in
Baggao, Cagayan
Baggao, officially the Municipality of Baggao (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,753 people.
Baggao is ...
at 2:00 a.m.
PST on September 15 (18:00 UTC on September 14), as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, with 10-minute sustained winds of and 1-minute sustained winds of .
This made Mangkhut the strongest storm to strike the island 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 ...
since
Typhoon Megi in 2010, and the strongest nationwide since
Typhoon Haiyan
Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...
in 2013.
Traversing the mountains of Luzon weakened Mangkhut before it emerged 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 September 15. The typhoon subsequently made landfall again on the Taishan coast of
Jiangmen
Jiangmen ( zh, c=江门), postal map romanization, alternately romanization of Chinese, romanized in Cantonese as Kongmoon, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong provinces of China, Province in southern China. It consists of three urban distri ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, at 5 p.m.
Beijing Time
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only one time ...
(09:00 UTC) on September 16, with two-minute sustained winds of according to
China Meteorological Administration
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) is the national weather service of the People's Republic of China. The institution is located in Beijing.
History
The agency was originally established in December 1949 as the Central Military Comm ...
.
Following landfall, Mangkhut quickly weakened while moving westward. Late on September 17, Mangkhut dissipated over Guangxi, China.
Preparations
Philippines

Tropical cyclone warning signals were hoisted by the
as early as September 13. Preemptive and forced evacuations were implemented, especially in the
Ilocos
The Ilocos Region (; ; ), designated as Region I, is an administrative region of the Philippines. Located in the northwestern section of Luzon, it is bordered by the Cordillera Administrative Region to the east, the Cagayan Valley to the northe ...
,
Cagayan Valley
Cagayan Valley (; ), designated as Region II, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines. Located in the northeastern section of Luzon, it is composed of five Provinces of the Philippines, Philippine provinces: ...
and
Cordillera
A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope').
The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...
administrative regions, the three regions widely expected to be severely affected by Mangkhut (Ompong). School class suspensions were announced as early as September 12 in preparation for the approaching typhoon. Medical and emergency response teams were placed on standby, and worth of relief goods were prepared by September 13.
Highest Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal
Hong Kong
On September 12, as Mangkhut was forecast to severely threaten Hong Kong, the
Hong Kong Government
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...
convened an inter-departmental meeting to discuss possible responses to the storm.
On September 14, the Hong Kong Government held a rare cross-department press conference over the preparation for Mangkhut, reminding Hong Kong citizens to "prepare for the worst". That night, 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 the Standby Signal No. 1 when Mangkhut was away from Hong Kong, the farthest distance on record.
On September 15, citizens living in Tai O and Lei Yue Mun were evacuated from these low-lying areas that have historically been very prone to storm surge. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 in the afternoon.
On September 16, as Mangkhut maintained its course towards the Pearl River Estuary, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 during midnight. After dawn, as local winds rapidly strengthened, Hong Kong Observatory issued the Increasing Gale or Storm Signal No. 9. At 9:40 a.m., the Hong Kong Observatory issued the Hurricane Signal No. 10, the highest level of
tropical cyclone warning signals
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local pop ...
in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. This marked only the third time that this warning has been issued for the region since
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, the others being with
Typhoon Hato
Typhoon Hato, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Isang, was a strong tropical cyclone that struck South China in late August 2017. The thirteenth named storm and the fourth typhoon of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, Pacific typh ...
in
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
Typhoon Vicente in
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
. The signal was held for ten hours, the second longest duration ever, only behind the eleven hours during
Typhoon York in 1999. The typhoon passed 100 kilometers south of Hong Kong at its closest, the joint farthest for a Hurricane Signal No. 10, with Typhoon Vicente.
Mainland China
On September 15, the meteorological bureaus of most cities in
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 ...
issued red alerts for Typhoon Mangkhut, which is the highest level of alerts in Guangdong. The Guangxi Meteorological Bureau also issued a red alert for the typhoon at 5:00 p.m. Beijing Time. On the next day, the Meteorological Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality issued a red alert for rainstorm, which is the highest level of alerts in
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
.
The Fujian Meteorological Bureau issued an orange alert for the typhoon, the second-highest alert level, on September 15.
On September 16,
National Meteorological Center of CMA
National Meteorological Center of CMA () is a subordinate body of the China Meteorological Administration in the People's Republic of China. It is a center for national weather forecasting, climate prediction, climate change study, meteorological i ...
renewed a red alert for Typhoon Mangkhut, which is the highest level of alerts in China. On the same day, the Hainan Meteorological Bureau issued an orange alert for the typhoon. In Guangdong's provincial capital
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
, schools, public transportation, and businesses were closed across the entire city for the first time since 1978.
Impact
Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
After the center of Mangkhut passed near Guam, about 80% of the island lost electricity. The typhoon caused $4.3 million in infrastructural damage in Guam.
Philippines

After sweeping through Luzon, it left a trail of destruction. Almost all buildings in
Tuguegarao
Tuguegarao ( or ), officially the City of Tuguegarao (; ; ; ), is a 2nd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 ...
,
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 ...
's provincial capital experienced some sort of damage due to the typhoon. The typhoon blew away roofs, uprooted trees, destroyed buildings, and blocked roads with debris. Shards of glass was blown through the corridors in a hotel in Santa Ana. In
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
, extreme rains caused widespread
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 urban areas. 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 ...
was reported in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina (), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4 ...
, eastern
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
, at around 5:30 p.m.
Philippine Standard Time
Philippine Standard Time (PST or PhST; ), also known as Philippine Time (PHT), is the official name for the time zone used in the Philippines. The country only uses a single time zone, at an UTC offset, offset of UTC+08:00, but has used dayligh ...
on September 14, injuring two people. Over 105,000 families evacuated from their homes, and several airports in northern Luzon closed and airlines cancelled their flights until September 16.
On September 22, police confirmed that the typhoon had caused at least 127 fatalities;
eighty deaths occurred in the collapse of a small mine in the town of
Itogon, Benguet
Itogon, officially the Municipality of Itogon, (; ), is a municipality in the province of Benguet, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 61,498 people.
Itogon is a mining town, being the site of the first large-sc ...
, where dozens of landslides buried homes. Philippine police also stated that another 111 people remained missing, as of September 22.
Francis Tolentino
Francis Ng Tolentino (, born January 2, 1960) is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a senator since 2019. He has been the Senate Majority Leader since 2024 and was formerly the chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2022 t ...
, a political adviser of President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...
, announced that an estimated 5.7 million people nationwide had been affected by the storm. Luzon suffered extensive losses which more than doubled the expected worst-case scenario outlined by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
As of October 5, the NDRRMC estimated that Mangkhut caused
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language geared towards web development. It was originally created by Danish-Canadian programmer Rasmus Lerdorf in 1993 and released in 1995. The PHP reference implementation is now produced by the PHP Group. ...
33.9 billion (US$626.8 million) in damages in the Philippines, with assessments continuing.
Malaysia
The tail winds from Mangkhut also affected some parts of
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
(as well as state of
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
).
Taiwan
A thirty-year-old female teacher visiting Fenniaolin Beach in
Yilan County was swept out to sea by a wave. Her body was recovered two days later.
Hong Kong

Mangkhut was the most intense typhoon to strike Hong Kong since
Typhoon Ellen in
1983
1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
; the highest
typhoon warning signal No. 10 remained in place for ten hours.
An hourly mean wind of and gusts up to were recorded at 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 ...
in
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui ( zh, c=尖沙咀), often abbreviated as TST, is an list of areas of Hong Kong, area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed ...
, while on
Cheung Chau
Cheung Chau (; ) is an outlying island of Hong Kong, located southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is also called Dumbbell Island () due to its dumbbell-like shape. It has been inhabited for longer than most other places in Hong Kong, and had ...
island these figures reached 157 (98) and respectively. The strongest winds in Hong Kong near sea level were recorded at the remote
Waglan Island, with ten-minute sustained winds of gusting up to 220 km/h (137 mph).
These winds caused the territory's many skyscrapers to sway and shattered glass windows; notably, the curtain walls of the Harbour Grand Kowloon were blown out by the winds. A construction elevator shaft on a high-rise under construction in
Tai Kok Tsui
Tai Kok Tsui is an area west of Mong Kok in Yau Tsim Mong District, Yau Tsim Mong district in the Kowloon region of Hong Kong. The mixed land use of industrial and residential is present in the old area. The Cosmopolitan Dock and oil depots we ...
collapsed onto an adjacent building, which had to be evacuated by police.
Many roads were blocked by fallen trees and other debris, including major arteries such as
Lockhart Road
Lockhart Road () is a street spanning the whole length of Wan Chai from east to west on the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It begins at Arsenal Street in the west and ends in East Point Road in East Point, Hong Kong, East Point.
History
The ro ...
in Wan Chai and
Kam Sheung Road, and service on the
Mass Transit Railway
The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...
(MTR) was halted on all above-ground sections of track.

Serious flooding was reported in many seaside residential areas, including
Heng Fa Chuen
Heng Fa Chuen is a private housing estate in Chai Wan, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, jointly developed by MTR Corporation and Heng Fa Chuen Development. It is located on the waterfront and offers views of the Tathong Channel. Heng Fa Chuen li ...
,
Tseung Kwan O South,
Shek O
Shek O is an area of the south-eastern part of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It can refer to Shek O village, Shek O Peninsula or Shek O Headland. Administratively, they are part of Southern District.
Geography
The name ''Shek O'' litera ...
,
Lei Yue Mun
Lei Yue Mun is a short channel in Hong Kong. It lies between Junk Bay and Victoria Harbour, separating Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The channel is an important passage for the city, forming the eastern entrance of Victoria Harbour.
The lan ...
, villages in
Tuen Mun
Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...
and the fishing village of
Tai O
Tai O () is a fishing town, partly located on an island of the same name, on the western side of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The village name means ''large inlet'', referring to wiktionary:outlet, outlet for the waterways (Tai O Creek and Tai ...
, due to a powerful storm surge of up to .
In
Sai Kung, multiple yachts and boats were sunk with one in particular pushed by the storm and beached next to a pedestrian promenade. Strings of seafront fence blocks were wrecked by the power of the waves. A sewage treatment plant was damaged. Animals were left stranded in the ocean.
About 1,219 people sought refuge in emergency shelters opened by the
Home Affairs Department
The Home Affairs Department is an executive agency in the government of Hong Kong responsible for internal affairs of the territory. It reports to the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs.
Purpose
The d ...
.
The
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...
cancelled and delayed a total of 889 international flights. More than 200 people were injured, but no fatalities were reported.
Due to the substantial damage and disruption caused by the typhoon, the
Education Bureau
The Education Bureau (EDB) is a policy bureau responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong.
The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees agencies including University Grants Committee ...
announced that all schools would be closed on September 17 and 18.
Insurance claims in Hong Kong amounted to
HK$
The Hong Kong dollar (, sign: HK$; code: HKD) is the official currency of Hong Kong. It is divided into 100 cents. Historically, it was also divided into 1000 mils. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is the monetary authority of Hong Kong an ...
7.3 billion (US$930 million).
The day after the storm, massive crowds filled the territory's MTR system, which operated at a reduced level of service on some lines as some sections of the tracks had been blocked by debris.
Most of the city's 600 bus routes also went out of service due to blocked roads.
Macau
A storm surge of up to affected Macau. About 21,000 homes lost power and 7,000 homes lost internet access,
and forty people were injured. For the first time in history, all
casinos in Macau
Gambling in Macau, a Special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of China, is the only place in China where casinos are legal. Gambling has been legal since the 1850s when the Portugal, Portuguese government legalis ...
were closed. The
Macau International Airport
Macau International Airport is an international airport in the special administrative region of Macau, situated at the eastern end of Taipa island and neighbouring waters. It opened for commercial operations on 9 November 1995, during Portu ...
cancelled 191 flights on Saturday and Sunday (September 15 and 16).
Total damage in Macau was estimated to be 1.74 billion
patacas (US$215 million).
Mainland China
Typhoon Mangkhut caused the evacuation of over 2.45 million people.
In
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...
, the storm caused power failures in thirteen locations, flooded the Seafood Street, and caused 248 tree falls. Transport was shut down in Southern China, and at least four people in Guangdong were killed in the typhoon.
In
Guangzhou
Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
, markets, schools and public transport were closed or limited in the wake of the storm on Monday, September 17, and residents were requested to minimize non-essential travel. Ferry services from Zhuhai's Jiuzhougang Port to Shenzhen and Hong Kong were suspended indefinitely. The Civil Air Defense Office of Guangzhou Municipality (Municipal Civil Air Defense Office) cancelled the annual air-raid drills scheduled for September 15 to avoid causing panic as Typhoon Mangkhut approached. Schools in
Beihai
Beihai (; Postal romanization: Pakhoi) is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of internati ...
,
Qinzhou
Qinzhou ( postal: Yamchow or Yen Chow, , Jyutping: ''Jam1 zau1'' ( Canton) /''Ham1 zau1'' (Local) ) is a prefecture-level city in south-central Guangxi, southern China, lying on the Gulf of Tonkin and having a total population of 3,302,238 as ...
,
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 ...
, and
Nanning
Nanning; is the capital of the Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, southern China. It is known as the "Green City (绿城) " because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of Guangxi, Nanning ...
were closed on September 17. The trains to Guangxi were also closed on September 17.
In total, the storm killed six people and caused CN¥13.68 billion (US$1.99 billion) in damage.
Retirement
Due to its catastrophic damage and high death toll in
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 ...
, the
PAGASA
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (, abbreviated as PAGASA , which means "hope" as in the Tagalog language, Tagalog word ''pag-asa'') is the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS ...
retired the name ''Ompong'' from their tropical cyclone naming lists and will never be used again as a typhoon name within the ''
Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)''. It was replaced with ''Obet'' in 2019 and it was first used in
2022 season.
The name ''Mangkhut'' was also officially retired during the 51st annual session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee from rotating typhoon lists in February 2019. In July 2020, the Typhoon Committee subsequently chose ''Krathon'' as its replacement name. But the name
Krathon was also retired after the
2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
season. Its replacement name will be announced in 2026
See also
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Weather of 2018
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Tropical cyclones in 2018
During 2018, 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 151 tropical cyclones had formed this year to date. 102 t ...
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Typhoons in the Philippines
The Philippines is a typhoon-prone country, with approximately twenty tropical cyclones entering its area of responsibility per year. Locally known generally as (),Glossary of Meteorology. These 20 Tropical Cyclones can vary from Tropical ...
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Typhoon Wanda (1962)
Typhoon Wanda was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record in Hong Kong. It was the 59th disturbance in the record-breaking 1962 Pacific typhoon season, forming in August east of the Philippines. Typhoon Wanda reached peak winds of 175& ...
– Strongest typhoon recorded in Hong Kong
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Typhoon Hope (Ising; 1979) – One of the strongest typhoons that made its final landfall near Hong Kong.
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Typhoon Ellen (Herming; 1983) – A powerful typhoon that took a similar track through the Philippines in September 1983, and one of the strongest typhoon in Hong Kong.
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Typhoon Gordon (Goring; 1989) - A powerful typhoon with a similar track.
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Typhoon Angela (Rosing; 1995) - Had a similar track but made landfall in the Philippines as a Category 5 equivalent typhoon.
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Typhoon Zeb (Iliang; 1998) – An extremely powerful typhoon that made landfall in the same province of the Philippines.
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Typhoon Megi (Juan; 2010) – Another powerful typhoon that made landfall in nearby
Isabela province and affected
South China
South China ( zh, s=, p=Huá'nán, j=jyut6 naam4) is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is ...
and
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 ...
.
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Typhoon Krosa (Vinta; 2013) - A moderate category 3 that had a similar track to Mangkhut, affecting the same areas.
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Typhoon Kalmaegi (Luis; 2014) – A weaker typhoon which made landfall in the same provinces that Mangkhut did, around the same time in 2014.
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Typhoon Haima (Lawin; 2016) – Similarly powerful typhoon which also made landfall in Cagayan.
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Typhoon Hato (Isang; 2017) – Most recent typhoon to affect Hong Kong and Macau prior to Mangkhut.
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Typhoon Goni (Rolly; 2020) – Most powerful tropical cyclone to ever make landfall anywhere around the world at .
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Typhoon Doksuri (Egay; 2023) – A powerful category-4 super typhoon that had a similar track, causing widespread rains in Northern Luzon.
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Typhoon Saola (Goring; 2023) – The next typhoon to hoist storm signal no. 10 in Hong Kong 5 years later.
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Typhoon Usagi (Ofel, 2024) – A category-4 super typhoon that also made landfall over
Baggao, Cagayan
Baggao, officially the Municipality of Baggao (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 87,753 people.
Baggao is ...
but had a similar track.
Notes
References
External links
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EMSR312: Super Typhoon Mangkhut over the Northern Philippines (damage assessment maps)– Copernicus Emergency Management Service
EMSR310: Tropical Cyclone MANGKHUT-18 in Northern Mariana Islands and Guam (delineation maps)– Copernicus Emergency Management Service
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangkhut
2018 Pacific typhoon season
September 2018 in Asia
Typhoons in Hong Kong
Typhoons in the Philippines
Typhoons in China
Typhoons in Macau
Typhoons in Taiwan
2018 disasters in the Philippines
2018 in Guam
2018 in the Northern Mariana Islands
2018 in Taiwan
2018 in Hong Kong
2018 in Macau
2018 disasters in China
Mangkhut
Retired Pacific typhoons
Retired Philippine typhoon names