Typhoon Saomai (2000)
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Typhoon Saomai, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Osang, was a long-tracked and intense
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 brought flooding rainfall in Japan and the
Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...
in early September 2000. The torrential precipitation in Japan was considered some of the worst in the past century. Saomai, the second strongest typhoon in the western Pacific in 2000, developed from an area of disturbed weather in open sea on August 31. The system was initially quick to intensify, reaching an initial peak intensity as a typhoon on September 4.
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 ...
caused a hiatus in Saomai's strengthening phase, and as a result Saomai weakened back to a tropical storm as it tracked northwest for the next few days. On September 9, the system regained typhoon intensity and began to rapidly intensify, reaching peak intensity on September 10 with
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a certain distance from the center, known as the radius of ma ...
s of . Over the ensuing two days Saomai would weaken slightly before making
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 ...
on
Okinawa Island , officially , is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands of Japan in the Kyushu region. It is the smallest and least populated of the five Japanese archipelago, main islands of Japan. The island is ...
. The typhoon later entered the
East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...
, where it recurved towards the northeast before making landfall on South Korea as a severe tropical storm, later transitioning into an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
on September 16. Saomai's remnants would move into Russia before dissipating three days later. As a developing typhoon, the outer
rainband A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and th ...
s of Saomai affected 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 ...
, causing moderate damage. Localized
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s were reported, and damage totaled to US$650,000. Even before Saomai made landfall on Okinawa, the typhoon caused rough seas off the coast of Japan that resulted in several shipping incidents. Concurrently, the approach of a
front Front may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film * '' The Front'', 1976 film Music * The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ...
into the country interacted with the typhoon, resulting in unprecedented rainfalls in Japan. Due to the floods, approximately 400,000 people were evacuated in three prefectures. In
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
, observed rainfall totals were the highest since records began in 1891. Several landslides and strong winds were reported. Overall, damage in Japan and its outlying islands totaled
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978 billion (US$9 billion) and eleven fatalities were reported. As Saomai tracked near China, its outer rainbands and strong waves prompted the evacuation of 20,000 people and caused record high stream heights. In South Korea, eight people were killed and damage figures equated to US$242 million. Widespread power outages took a toll on as many as 422,000 homes and heavy rains flooded numerous fields of crops. Minor damage occurred in
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, though the damage wrought by Typhoon Prapiroon earlier in the month was exacerbated by Saomai's impacts. In Russia, where the typhoon made landfall as an extratropical storm, nine people were killed due to car accidents spurred by rainfall caused by the Saomai. Overall, Saomai's effects resulted in the death of 28 people and roughly US$9.24 billion in damage.


Meteorological history

Typhoon Saomai emerged from an area of
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 ...
that developed well east 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 ...
in late-August. Though the disturbance was associated with a
low-pressure area 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 incle ...
, the circulation center was too weak to support persistent shower activity. Despite the satellite presentation, 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
tropical depression 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 ...
at 1800 
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
on August 31. Over the next few days, the system organized and curved towards the west from its initial northerly track. At 1200 UTC on September 2, the JMA upgraded the small depression to
tropical storm 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 lo ...
intensity. Within Saomai, convection deepened near the center, signifying continued intensification. A cold
central dense overcast The central dense overcast, or CDO, of a tropical cyclone or strong subtropical cyclone is the large central area of thunderstorms surrounding its circulation center, caused by the formation of its eyewall. It can be round, angular, oval, or ir ...
eventually developed, and at 1200 UTC the next day, Saomai became a severe tropical storm. Early on September 4, the tropical cyclone intensified further into a typhoon. At the time, Saomai was still well northeast of Guam. Upon reaching typhoon strength, Saomai attained an initial peak intensity with
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a certain distance from the center, known as the radius of ma ...
s of . Shortly after, despite the fact that a primitive
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 ...
had begun to develop,
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 ...
increased, shearing the storm's convection away. As a result, the JMA downgraded Saomai below typhoon strength on September 5, and at roughly the same time 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 ...
to the storm's southeast steered Saomai southward. This break in the storm's westerly course was short lived, and early on September 6, Saomai assumed its previous heading. Over time the shearing conditions gradually abated, and
rainband A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands in tropical cyclones can be either stratiform or convective and are curved in shape. They consist of showers and th ...
ing about the cyclone was showing signs of organization and strengthening. On September 8, Saomai finally re-developed a central dense overcast, prompting the JMA to upgrade the tropical storm back to typhoon intensity at 0000 UTC the following day. Back in favorable conditions, the typhoon entered a phase of
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 ...
beginning six hours later. During this period a well-defined eye developed, and the storm's eyewall significantly intensified. At 1200 UTC on September 10, Saomai reached its peak intensity with sustained winds estimated at 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 925 
mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure defined as 100,000  Pa (100 kPa), though not part of the International System of Units (SI). A pressure of 1 bar is slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea ...
(
hPa The pascal (symbol: Pa) is the unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI). It is also used to quantify internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus, and ultimate tensile strength. The unit, named after Blaise Pascal, is an S ...
; 27.32 
inHg Inch of mercury (inHg, ″Hg, or in) is a non- SI unit of measurement for pressure. It is used for barometric pressure in weather reports, refrigeration and aviation in the United States. It is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury in h ...
). The intense typhoon held this intensity for approximately nine hours before it began to weaken. Following peak intensity, Saomai's eye became cloud-filled, and the storm began to develop concentric eyewalls. Shortly after 1000 UTC on September 12, the typhoon 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 ...
on central
Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...
,
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
with sustained winds of and a pressure of . Saomai quickly passed over the island, and concurrently its weakening phase came to a halt. After tracking into the
East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...
, the typhoon began to track towards the northeast in response to a mid-latitude
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
. At its westernmost point along its track, Saomai was located approximately east of
Wenzhou, China Wenzhou; historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in China's Zhejiang province. Wenzhou is located at the extreme southeast of Zhejiang, bordering Lishui to the west, Taizhou to the north, and the province of Fujian to the sou ...
. Atmospheric conditions became increasingly more hostile as Saomai tracked northeast, and the typhoon became elongated and ragged in appearance. At 1200 UTC on September 15, Saomai was downgraded to severe tropical storm intensity as the cyclone began to undergo
extratropical transition Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
. At around 2030 UTC that day, Saomai made its final landfall as a tropical system west of
Pusan, South Korea Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southe ...
; after emerging into the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea, also known as the North Sea, is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. Names It is one of four ...
the storm was declared extratropical at 0600 UTC the next day. These remnants later tracked inland near
Vladivostok, Russia Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...
before dissipating on September 19.


Preparations, impact, and aftermath


Northern Mariana Islands and Guam

Early in Saomai's developmental history, the rainbands associated with the storm dropped heavy rain across 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 ...
. Schools across the archipelago nation were closed, and ferry service between
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 ...
and
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 ...
was cancelled. Reports of flooding were widespread, including in
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 ...
. In Tianan, some banana trees were damaged by the storm's affects. Damage from the islands amounted to US$650,000, with $600,000 to infrastructure. The presence of the nearby tropical cyclone caused the delaying of two flights and the cancellation of another at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport. On
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
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
ordered the release of ships from the local harbor. There, peaked at over a 24-hour period at
Piti In relation to a mortgage, PITI (pronounced like the word "pity") is the sum of the monthly principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, the component costs that add up to the monthly mortgage payment in most mortgages. That is, PITI is the sum of th ...
. At the
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office in
Tiyan The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...
, a gauge observed of rain. Gusty winds were also associated with Saomai's outer rainbands, with gusts peaking at a measured on September 4. The winds caused
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
in localized areas and downed two telephone poles. Severe flooding occurred in
Merizo Malesso' (formerly Merizo) is the southernmost village in the United States territory of Guam. Cocos Island (Chamorro: Islan Dåno) is a part of the municipality. The village's population has decreased since the island's 2010 census. Malesso' is ...
after a storm drain became clogged with debris, inundating six houses.


Japan

On September 10, rough seas caused by Saomai capsized a fishing boat off of
Shizuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,555,818 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Pref ...
, causing one person to go missing. Another occupant of the boat was rescued three hours after the sinking by police helicopter. The waves also caused a dozen containers from the South Korean ''Heunga Nagoya'' to fall into the sea off the coast of
Susami is a town in Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 3,709 in 2041 households and a population density of 21 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Susami is located in the s ...
and
Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...
. Off of
Oita Prefecture Oita often refers to: * Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan *Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture Oita or Ōita may also refer to: Places * Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan *Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stadi ...
, the waves were the impetus for
red tide A harmful algal bloom (HAB), or excessive algae growth, sometimes called a red tide in marine environments, is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms by production of natural algae-produced toxins, water deoxygenation, ...
s, resulting in significant marine loss. The approach of the typhoon towards Okinawa coincided with the approach of a
weather front A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...
over mainland
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, resulting in prolonged rainfall over the mainland. The rains caused extensive flooding, prompting the
Cabinet of Japan The is the chief executive body of the government of Japan. It consists of the prime minister, who is appointed by the Emperor after being nominated by the National Diet, in addition to up to nineteen other members, called ministers of stat ...
to make reassurances in the repair of the ensuing damage. Rail service along the
Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...
between
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
and
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
was suspended for more than 18 hours at one point, the longest delay to be enforced in the rail's service history. As a result, 50,000 passengers were forced to wait out the storm in the line's stopped trains.
Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
closed 24 of its manufacturing plants, resulting in the incompletion of 10,000 vehicles. Similarly,
Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
stopped production at two of its facilities in Nagoya.
Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...
,
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...
, and
Japan Air System , also known as Japan Airlines Domestic since 2004, was the smallest of the big three Japanese airlines. In contrast to the other two, JAL and ANA, JAS' international route network was very small, but its domestic network incorporated many sma ...
cancelled a combined 114 flights, which adversely affected about 21,000 people. Across the country, rainfall peaked at in
Miyagawa, Mie was a village located in Taki District, Mie Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 3,953 and a density of 12.85 persons per km2. The total area was 307.54 km2. On January 10, 2006 Miyagawa was merged int ...
; the same station also recorded of rain in a single 24-hour period. As a result of the flooding in Mie, 2,819 homes were inundated and 25 landslides occurred. Several buildings succumbed to the water and thus collapsed. Extensive
power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
occurred in
Kagoshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...
, affecting approximately 4,500 households. In addition, the heavy rains caused damage to agriculture, including
sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
crops. Damage in the prefecture totaled . Similar effects were felt across
Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
. Several flights into
Nagasaki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...
were cancelled; the rains there also caused agricultural damage totaling JP¥99 million (US$910,000). Flooding also occurred on
Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...
, where rainfall totals peaked at in Funato, Kōchi. Severe damage occurred elsewhere in Kōchi, where combined forestry and agricultural damage figures reached JP¥2.08 billion (US$19.1 million). In
Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...
, several landslides occurred, disrupting transportation routes. Record rainfall was observed in
Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...
, with of rain in Tokai and of rain in
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
in a span of a single day; both observations were the highest since records began in 1891. Due to the threat of landslides in Nagoya, the municipal government ordered the evacuation of 140,000 families. In the ward of Nakagawa-ku, two rivers overflowed their banks and over-topped the surrounding embankment. Two
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 ...
es occurred in the prefecture, with one striking Mihama and another striking
Minamichita is a town in Chita District, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 17,393 in 7338 households, and a population density of 453 persons per km2. The total area of the town was . Geography Minamichita is located in the e ...
; the former tornado injured 22 people, of which two were hospitalized. Another 41,000 families encompassing 400,000 people were evacuated across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures as a precautionary measure. Damage in Okinawa, the site of Saomai's first landfall, was considerable but not unprecedented. On September 10, the provincial government established a disaster warning headquarters on Daito Island to more efficiently deal with the typhoon's effects. Rainfall peaked on Mount Yonaha, where a station recorded of rain. During the storm, 31 roads sustained damage and 26 landslides occurred. Damage in Okinawa Prefecture reached JP¥636 million (US$5.83 million). Overall, Saomai caused the destruction of 609 homes and the inundation of 70,017 others in Japan. Eleven people were killed and 103 others suffered injury. The cost within the country totaled JP¥978 billion (US$9 billion). At the height of the storm, over 17,000 people had been displaced in emergency shelters.


Korean peninsula

As Saomai approached
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
, the typhoon forced the cancellation of flights beginning on September 12. Four airports had their air service suspended. Other suspensions of transportation included the refuge of 362 fishing boats in ports and the closure of 10 national parks and 43 mountain paths. As a result, about 16,600 campers and hikers were evacuated to safer areas. As a result of the inclement weather, the operation of 149 passenger ships were cancelled. On September 13, the
Korea Meteorological Administration The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA; ) is the national meteorological service of South Korea. The service started in 1904 joining the WMO in 1956. Numerical weather prediction is performed using the Unified Model software suite. Histo ...
 (KMA) issued a typhoon warning for waters south of South Korea and
Jeju Province Jeju Province (; ), officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (Jeju language, Jeju: ; ), is the southernmost Provinces of South Korea, province of South Korea, consisting of eight inhabited and 55 uninhabited islands, including Marado, Udo ...
. The administration anticipated heavy rainfall, though not as much as what had taken place in Japan. Offshore, an Indonesian freighter with 39 crewmen became stranded by the typhoon in waters south of
Pusan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southe ...
. The crew were rescued by maritime police, but 270 tons of
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...
spilled into the ocean from a broken oil container. In South Korea, the
northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...
and southern Gyeongsang provinces were the most heavily impacted. At least of paddy fields were flooded. Heavy rains caused the
Nakdong River The Nakdong River or Nakdonggang (, ) is the longest river in South Korea, which passes through the major cities of Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Three Kingdoms of Korea, Kor ...
to breach a section of embankment, prompting the evacuation of 100 families. Flood warnings were issued by the KMA on sections of the river for the first time in 2000. In
South Gyeongsang South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heri ...
, an electricity pylon collapsed, cutting power supply to about 700 houses. Strong winds uprooted trees and destroyed homes and fishing boats in Pusan. Countrywide, losses were initially estimated at
KR₩ The South Korean won (symbol: ₩; code: KRW; ) is the official currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and it appears only in foreign exchange ...
20 billion (US$17.8 million), though these figures later rose to KR₩138.4 billion (US$124 million). As a result of Saomai, eight people were killed, and 411 others were displaced. More than 600 buildings were either inundated or destroyed entirely. At the height of the storm, roughly 422,000 households were without power, primarily in northern and southern Gyeongsang provinces. Total damage was finalized at KR₩270 billion (US$242 million). Relatively minor damage occurred in
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
, previously impacted by Typhoon Prapiroon earlier in September. Rainfall peaked at in
Kaesong Kaesong (, ; ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region cl ...
. Saomai somewhat exacerbated the unprecedented damage caused by Prapiroon, and damaged maize crops which were set to be harvested in the coming weeks.


Elsewhere

At its closest approach to
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 ...
, Saomai generated high waves that coincided with
high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...
, resulting in extensive damage. In preparation for the storm, schools in
Ningbo Ningbo is a sub-provincial city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises six urban districts, two satellite county-level cities, and two rural counties, including several islands in Hangzhou Bay and the Eas ...
were forced to close, and ferry service was discontinued. Over 20,000 people were evacuated by the Chinese government onto higher land. The most severely affected Chinese province was
Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...
. A station in
Dinghai District Dinghai () is a district of Zhoushan City made of 128 islands in Zhejiang province, China. The total area is 1,444 square kilometres. The land area is 568.8 square kilometres, the sea area is 875.2 square kilometres, and the coastline is more tha ...
observed of rain in 18 hours, equivalent to more than half of that station's monthly average. In
Zhoushan Zhoushan is an urbanized archipelago with the administrative status of a prefecture-level city in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It consists of an archipelago of islands at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay off the mainland c ...
, 20,000 hectares of farmland were inundated and 2,500 homes collapsed. Off the island, ten fishing boats collided, and another oil tanker capsized. Areas in Gaoting were submerged under as much as of water. Off the coast, 225 boats and 130 piers were damaged. In
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, 20 streets were flooded and hundreds of homes were flooded with water. At nearby
Hongqiao Airport Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of two international airports serving Shanghai, China. The airport is located near the town of Hongqiao in the outskirts of Changning and Minhang districts, west of downtown, and is closer to ...
, an
Airbus A340 The Airbus A340 is a long-haul, long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the Airbus A300, A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 qu ...
bound for
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
slipped off the runway. Though no people were injured, the airport was closed for eight hours. The typhoon also caused the
Huangpu River The Huangpu (), formerly romanized as Whangpoo, is a river flowing north through Shanghai. The Bund and Lujiazui are located along the Huangpu River. The Huangpu is the biggest river in central Shanghai, with the Suzhou Creek being its ...
to rise to its third highest level in recorded history. Despite being a much weaker storm upon impacting Russia, Saomai's rains flooded coal retrieval sites, cutting down on electric power supplies in
Primorsky Krai Primorsky Krai, informally known as Primorye, is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krais of Russia, krai) of Russia, part of the Far Eastern Federal District in the Russian Far East. The types of inhabited localities in Russia, ...
. Due to the shortages, electric power was transferred there from other surrounding areas. Furthermore, a 50 percent decrease in electricity output was documented at the local power station in
Luchegorsk Luchegorsk () is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Pozharsky District of Primorsky Krai, Russia. Population: History It was founded in 1966 on the bank of the Kontrovod River. Economy There is a lar ...
. To the south, an overflowing of the Kazachka River prompted the evacuation of over 60 people. Overall, 55 automobile accidents occurred in eastern Russia, leading to nine fatalities and 76 people injured.


See also

* Other tropical cyclones named Saomai *
Tropical cyclones in 2000 During 2000, 140 tropical cyclone, tropical or subtropical cyclone, subtropical cyclones formed throughout the world. The cyclones originated in seven different areas called Tropical cyclone basins, basins, where respective weather agencies ...
*
Typhoon Rusa Typhoon Rusa was the most powerful typhoon to strike South Korea in 43 years. It was the 21st JTWC tropical depression, the 15th named storm, and the 10th typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season. It developed on August 22 from the m ...
(2002) *
Typhoon Maemi Typhoon Maemi () or (), known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pogi, was the most powerful typhoon to strike South Korea since record-keeping began in the country in 1904. Maemi formed on 4 September 2003, from a disturbance in a monsoo ...
(2003) *
Typhoon Nari (2007) Typhoon Nari (), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Falcon, was a small but powerful typhoon which struck the Korean Peninsula in early September 2007. Meteorological history An area of disturbed weather developed northwest of Guam on September ...
*
Typhoon Hinnamnor Typhoon Hinnamnor, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Henry, was a very large and powerful tropical cyclone that impacted Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Russia in early September 2022. The eleventh named storm, fourth ty ...
(2022) *
Typhoon Khanun (2023) Typhoon Khanun (), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Falcon, was a powerful, erratic and long-lived tropical cyclone that moved along Okinawa, Japan and the west coast of the Korean Peninsula in early August 2023. It was the sixth named storm ...


Notes


References


External links


JMA General Information
of Typhoon Saomai (0014) from Digital Typhoon
JMA Best Track Data (Graphics)
of Typhoon Saomai (0014)
JTWC Best Track Data
of Super Typhoon 22W (Saomai)
22W.SAOMAI
from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory {{DEFAULTSORT:Saomai (2000) Typhoons in Japan Typhoons in South Korea Typhoons in North Korea 2000 Pacific typhoon season 2000 in Japan 2000 in South Korea 2000 in North Korea Saomai 2000 disasters in Asia