 Typhoon Maemi at peak intensity on September 10 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 5, 2003 |
| Extratropical | September 13, 2003 |
| Dissipated | September 16, 2003 |
| Violent typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 195 km/h (120 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 910hPa (mbar); 26.87 inHg |
| Category 5-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 280 km/h (175 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 885hPa (mbar); 26.13 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 120 total |
| Damage | $4.8 billion (2003USD) |
| Areas affected | Miyako-jima,Okinawa,Taiwan,South Korea,North Korea |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the2003 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon Maemi (pronounced[mɛ.mi] orpronounced[ma.emiː]), known in thePhilippines asSuper Typhoon Pogi,[1] was the most powerfultyphoon to strikeSouth Korea since record-keeping began in the country in 1904. The fourteenthnamed storm, eighth typhoon and third super typhoon[nb 1] of the2003 Pacific typhoon season, Maemi developed from a disturbance in amonsoon trough on 4. It slowly intensified into a tropical storm and given the nameMaemi while moving northwestward, becoming a typhoon on 8. That day, favorable conditions facilitated more rapid strengthening; the storm developed a well-definedeye and reached peakmaximum sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph).[nb 2] While near peak intensity, Maemi decelerated and began turning to the north-northeast. Soon after, the eyewall passed overMiyako-jima,Japan on 10 with a minimumbarometric pressure of 912 mbar (26.9 inHg), the fourth-lowest pressure recorded in the nation. Due to warmsea surface temperatures, Maemi was able to maintain much of its intensity before it madelandfall just west ofBusan, South Korea, on September 12. The typhoon underwentextratropical transition in theSea of Japan the next day, although its remnants persisted for several days, lashing northern Japan with strong winds.
The typhoon first affected theRyukyu Islands of Japan. OnMiyako-jima, strong winds damaged 104 buildings and left 95% of residents without power. Maemi caused heavy rainfall there, bringing a total rainfall of 58.5 mm (2.30 in) in an hour and 402.5 mm (15.85 in) in 24 hours, with the latter setting a new record. One person died after being struck by airborne debris. Elsewhere in Japan, the storm caused flights to be canceled, and rainfall-induced landslides blocked roads. There were two other deaths in Japan, and damage totaledJP¥11.3 billion (US$96 millionUSD).[nb 3] Damage was heaviest in South Korea, particularly where it moved ashore. OnJeju Island, Maemi produced a wind gusts that peaked at 216 km/h (134 mph) and a minimum pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg), both breaking records for the country; the pressure reading broke the longstanding lowest pressure set byTyphoon Sarah in 1959. Winds inBusan near where the typhoon made landfall reached 154 km/h (96 mph), the second-highest on record. The port sustained heavy damage, restricting exports in the months following the storm. Nationwide, high winds destroyed approximately 5,000 houses, damaged 13,000 homes and businesses, leaving 25,000 people homeless. About 1.47 million households lost power, and widespread crop damage occurred, resulting in the poorest rice harvest in 23 years. Across South Korea, Maemi was responsible for 117 deaths. Overall damage in the country totaled₩5.52 trillion (US$4.8 billion).
Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depressionIn early September 2003, amonsoon trough created a tropical disturbance nearGuam.[4] The system consisted of a disorganized area ofconvection, or thunderstorms, in an area of moderatewind shear. By September 4, the convection was becoming better organized around a weaklow-level circulation. Despite the wind shear, the system continued to develop,[6] becoming a tropical depression north ofChuuk State.[3] At 0200 UTC on September 5, theJoint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)[nb 4] issued aTropical Cyclone Formation Alert, and later that day initiated advisories on Tropical Depression 15W just west of Guam. By that time, the convection had increased over the center. For the first week of its existence, the cyclone tracked generally northwestward, steered by asubtropical ridge to the north.[6]
Early on September 6, theJapan Meteorological Agency (JMA)[nb 5] upgraded the depression to a tropical storm andnamed it Maemi,[3] meaning "cicada" inKorean. With more favorable conditions, including lesser wind shear and enhancedoutflow, the storm continued to intensify.[6] The JMA upgraded Maemi to a severe tropical storm on September 7 and to typhoon status – winds of over 119 km/h (74 mph) – the next day.[3] The JTWC had upgraded Maemi to typhoon status on September 7 after aneye feature appeared on satellite imagery.[6] Also around that time, thePhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) began issuing advisories on the storm, giving it the local name "Pogi", although the typhoon would remain away from the country.[1] On September 8, Maemi began undergoingrapid deepening due to enhanced outflow,[4] aided by the flow of an approachingshortwave trough.[6] At 1200 UTC on September 9, the JTWC estimated 1-minutesustained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) and designated Maemi as asuper typhoon. The next day, the same agency estimated peak winds of 280 km/h (170 mph) and gusts to 335 km/h (208 mph), the equivalent of a Category 5 on theSaffir-Simpson scale.[4] At 1200 UTC on September 10, the JMA estimated peak 10-minute winds of 195 km/h (121 mph) and a minimumbarometric pressure of 910 mbar (27 inHg) while the storm was 155 km (96 mi) southeast of the Japanese island ofMiyako-jima.[3] At peak intensity, Maemi was a small typhoon, withgale-force winds extending only 240 km (150 mi) from the well-defined eye.[6]
Around the time of peak intensity, Maemi was slowing its forward motion and began turning to the north, after the eastward-moving trough weakened the ridge.[4] At 1900 UTC on September 10, the typhoon passed within 10 km (6.2 mi) of Miyako-jima.[3] While the eye was passing over the island, the pressure fell to 912 mbar (26.9 inHg) and winds reached 250 km/h (160 mph).[6] Maemi weakened slightly as it continued north, passing about 220 km (140 mi) west ofOkinawa on September 11 while undergoing aneyewall replacement cycle.[4] Increasingly hostile conditions from the approaching trough caused further weakening, and the JTWC estimated the typhoon passed just east ofJeju Island with 1-minute winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) at 0600 UTC on September 12. Shortly after, Maemi madelandfall just west ofBusan, South Korea,[3] with the JMA estimating 10-minute winds of 140 km/h (87 mph),[3] and JTWC estimating 1-minute winds of 165 km/h (103 mph).[4]Risk Management Solutions estimated landfall winds of 190 km/h (120 mph), which surpassedTyphoon Sarah in 1959. This made Maemi the strongest typhoon to strike the country since theKorea Meteorological Administration began keeping records in 1904.[8] The storm was able to maintain much of its intensity due to warmsea surface temperatures and its fast forward motion.[9] Maemi rapidly weakened to tropical storm status while moving over land,[3] and was undergoingextratropical transition by the time it entered theSea of Japan. Increasing wind shear removed the convection from the increasingly ill-defined circulation center. The JTWC issued its final warning on Maemi early on September 13, declaring the storm extratropical.[6] The JMA followed suit later that day, tracking Maemi over northern Japan and declaring it extratropical over theSea of Okhotsk. The remnants of Maemi persisted for several more days, until the JMA stopped tracking it on September 16 southwest of theKamchatka Peninsula.[3] According to theMariners Weather Log, the remnants of Maemi continued to the east, eventually striking the coast ofAlaska on September 21.[10]
In Japan, the threat of the typhoon caused airlines to cancel 145 flights, mostly in and around Okinawa.[11] About 50 American army bases in Okinawa were closed, and non-essential workers were told to remain home.[12]
Before Maemi made landfall in South Korea, officials issued flood warnings along theNakdong River due to dams opening floodgates. About 25,000 people were forced to evacuate,[8] either to schools or relatives' houses.[13] The Korea Meteorological Administration advised travelers to take precaution in advance of the storm.[14] Ferry and airplane services were canceled to Jeju island, stranding residents ahead of theChuseok holiday.[15]
Officials inPrimorsky Krai in theRussian Far East issued a storm warning, noting the potential for strong winds and heavy rainfall.[16]
Typhoon Maemi first affected the Japanese island of Miyako-jima, where gusts reached 266 km/h (165 mph), and sustained winds reached 152 km/h (94 mph). For 16 hours, excluding the 2-hour passage of the eye, the pressure fell to 912 mbar (26.9 inHg), the second-lowest on record on the island after Typhoon Sarah in 1959, and at the time the fourth lowest in all of Japan.[6] The typhoon produced heavy rainfall on Miyako-jima totaling 470 mm (19 in), of which 402.5 mm (15.85 in) fell in 24 hours, breaking the daily record. Also on the island, 58.5 mm (2.30 in) fell in one hour, and 22 mm (0.87 in) fell in just 10 minutes.[6][17] On the island, Maemi damaged 104 buildings,[17] including two severely damaged houses.[12] The storm damaged roads in 36 locations and caused a power outage,[17] affecting about 20,900 people, or 95% of the island.[18] One person on Miyako-jima died after being struck by flying glass.[19]
News agencies considered Maemi the strongest typhoon to affect Okinawa since 1968.[19] Elsewhere inOkinawa Prefecture, wind gusts reached 109 km/h (68 mph) inNago.[6] OnIshigaki Island, strong winds damaged houses and crops, while high tides flooded low-lying buildings.[20] Across the region, 94 people were injured, mostly from broken glass.[19]
Shortly before Maemi made its final landfall, it produced wind gusts of 167 km/h (104 mph) atIzuhara, a Japanese island halfway between South Korea and Japan. Along the southwest coast of Japan, a weather station inHirado reported gusts of 113 km/h (70 mph).[6] The typhoon resulted in heavy rainfall on the Japanese main island ofKyushu, reaching 457 mm (18.0 in) at a station inMiyazaki Prefecture.[21] Rainfall-induced landslides inNagasaki forced 191 people to evacuate their homes.[22] Heavy rainfall also caused landslides inŌita Prefecture,[23] andKōchi Prefecture, where several roads were closed.[24] The threat of the storm caused schools to close inYamaguchi Prefecture.[25] The storm spawned anF1 tornado in Kōchi that damaged several houses and flipped over a car, injuring a woman inside.[26] As an extratropical storm, Maemi left 2,500 people inHokkaido without power after producing gusts of 108 km/h (67 mph) inHakodate.[27] Wind gusts reached 116 km/h (72 mph) inAkita, the third-highest September wind gust at the station.[28] A falling tree inSapporo killed one person and injured two others.[29] High waves damaged fisheries and 54 ships inMatsumae alone,[27] and nationwide 262 ships were damaged.[21] Rough seas also killed one person inAkita Prefecture.[28] The typhoon destroyed 1,498 homes across the country and flooded 363 others. The storm also damaged 9 ha (22 acres) of fields. In total, Maemi killed three people and injured 107 in Japan, two severely. Overall damage totaled ¥11.3 billion (JPY, $96 millionUSD).[nb 6][21]
Since Typhoon Maemi took a path closer to the form of a parabolic, a typical pattern of typhoons from outbreak to extinction, it was relatively possible to predict its course and the possibility of landing on the Korean Peninsula was expected fairly early. The Korea Meteorological Administration officially announced the typhoon's possible landing off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula at 5 p.m. on September 10, making the news widely known through major media organizations.[31] When Typhoon Maemi struck South Korea, it caused heavy rainfall that peaked at 453 mm (17.8 in).[8] Rainfall reached 401.5 mm (15.81 in) inNamhae County,[6] and 255 mm (10.0 in) on Jeju Island.[15] The rain was less widespread and caused less flooding thanTyphoon Rusa, which struck the country a year prior, but damage from Maemi was heavier due to strong winds.[32] On Jeju Island, Maemi produced a wind gust of 216 km/h (134 mph) and a minimum pressure of 950 mbar (28 inHg), both setting records for the country.[9] The winds broke the record of 210 km/h (130 mph) set byTyphoon Prapiroon in 2000,[33] and the pressure was 1.5 mbar lower than that duringTyphoon Sarah in 1959,[9] which was one of the strongest storms to strike South Korea after Maemi.[8] On the South Korean mainland, thePusan International Airport reported wind gusts of 143 km/h (89 mph).[6] Winds in Busan reached 154 km/h (96 mph), the second-highest wind speed for the city afterTyphoon Thelma in 1987.[34] Due to high winds, fivenuclear power plants were shut down automatically, but were ultimately unaffected.[35]
In South Korea, damage was heaviest inSouth Gyeongsang Province, where 71 people were killed.[36] Damage was particularly heavy in Busan, as well in asYecheon,Ulsan, andDaegu. In Busan, strong winds wrecked 11 lifting cranes, each weighing about 900 tons,[8] which injured five people and killed two in one incident.[37][38] Many shipyards in the region were closed,[8] and initial reports estimated it would take a year to fully reopen the Busan port.[39] The estimated damage to the Busan port was about $50 million (USD),[40] causing cargo capacity to be cut by 20%.[41] High waves turned a large ship on its side in Busan, and inUlsan the waves knocked an offshore shipbuilding plant into a petroleum facility, damaging them both.[8] Sixteen people were killed in Busan.[42]
High tides flooded hundreds of houses along the coast, particularly in areas without seawalls.[43] InMasan, the storm caused 12 fatalities when it flooded an underground shopping center.[36] On Jeju Island to the south of the country, Maemi destroyed sets of theKorean drama TV seriesAll In,[44] and wrecked 32 houses. Two people were killed on the island,[45] one of whom while attempting to secure his boat.[46] Throughout the country, 465 boats were damaged or beached. The heavy rainfall caused mudslides, one of which inChungcheong derailed a train, injuring 28 aboard.[8] Mudslides closed several roads,[13] and damaged five rail lines in ten locations.[47] Nationwide, the storm damaged 2,278 roads and bridges,[9] as well as nearly 40,000 cars.[8] Intense rainfall also caused flooding along the Nakdong River, reaching aflood stage of 5.06 m (16.6 ft) near Busan. There, the river produced adischarge of about 13,000 m3/s (460,000 ft3/s), strong enough to destroy a section of theGupo Bridge.[48] Along a tributary of the Nakdong River, floods destroyed a dyke nearDaegu.[49] Maemi also flooded 37,986 ha (93,870 acres) of fields before the fall harvest,[8] causing widespread damage to the rice crop.[48] OnUlleungdo island off the eastern coast, Maemi washed away the primary road and many houses, killing three. Residents there complained about the lack of advance warning.[50]
Typhoon Maemi left about 1.47 million electric customers without power around the country,[35] causing ₩12.9 billion (KRW, US$11.61 million)[nb 7] in damage to power companies.[37] Widespread damage interrupted mobile and cell phone service.[51]United States military bases in the country sustained about $4.5 million in damage.[52] Nationwide, Maemi destroyed about 5,000 houses and damaged 13,000 homes and businesses,[8] leaving 25,000 people homeless.[37] About 150 businesses inGangwon Province were destroyed by Typhoon Rusa in 2002, only to be destroyed again by Maemi when they were rebuilt.[53] Insured damages from Maemi were estimated at ₩650 billion (KRW, $565 million), mostly property damage.[nb 8] The insured damage was over four times the amount of insured damage from Typhoon Rusa the year prior. Overall damage was estimated at ₩5.52 trillion (KRW, US$4.8 billion). By comparison, this total was ₩2.52 trillion (KRW, US$1.9 billion) less than Rusa; the discrepancy between the insured and overall damage was due to Maemi causing heavier industrial damage, while Rusa caused more damage overall.[8] The storm killed 117 people throughout South Korea.[9]
Although the typhoon prompted the PAGASA to hoist warnings – and in spite of initial concerns that the cyclone would enhance monsoonal rainfall – Maemi did not cause any damage in the Philippines.[1][6]
While recurving east of Taiwan, Maemi dropped significant rainfall, peaking at 227.5 mm (8.96 in) inIlan County.[6] The rains helped ease drought conditions and replenished parched reservoirs.[54]
In North Korea, Maemi produced about 186 mm (7.3 in) of rainfall, although further details of the storm's effects there were unknown due topress censorship.[55]
Following the storm, South KoreanPresidentRoh Moo-hyun declared the entire of the country excludingSeoul andIncheon as special disaster areas,[8] after touring the storm damage in Busan.[56] The government providedtax breaks and allocated ₩1.4 trillion (KRW, $1.2 billion) in assistance to the affected residents,[8] after an additional budget was passed in late September 2003.[57] This included ₩100 billion (KRW, US$90 million)[nb 7] in immediate funds forsearch and rescue missions.[35] After the storm, residents complained they did not receive adequate warning and not enough coastal areas were evacuated, which led to the high death toll.[58] Widespread damage and continued flooding caused traffic jams in the days following the storm.[55] A damaged rail line prompted operators to provide alternate bus service. Landslides throughout the country forced travelers to use alternate routes.[15] By three days after the storm, most damaged roads and highways were reopened.[59] About 33,000 members of the South Korean Army were deployed to assist in relief efforts,[60] such as clearing roads and delivering aid to storm victims. Workers quickly restored power to 95% of customers within 24 hours.[35] The government installed four new cranes for the Busan port, and assisted operators to ensure exports would not be delayed.[61] Heavy crop damage caused fruit and vegetable prices to rise,[36] and fish and crop exports rose 9.2% on average.[62] The rice harvest was the lowest in 23 years, due to the storm and a government effort to limit production.[63] To assist farmers, the government increased purchases in federal contracts. Three government-run banks provided low-rate loans for businesses damaged by the storm.[57] Residual flooding from Maemi contributed to an outbreak ofconjunctivitis in the southern portion of the country.[50] To prevent additional outbreaks, the Korean National Institute of Health sent 1,000 workers to storm-damaged areas.[64] TheKorea Exchange fell 1.8% due to fears that storm damage would disrupt exports.[65]
For the month of September 2003, theKorea Electric Power Corporation waived electric bills for residents who lost their homes, and cut bills in half for residents and businesses who lost power.[66] The South Korean government allowed companies to increase premiums for car insurance by 3.5% due to the widespread car damage.[8] Due to storm damage, 34 companies were forced to temporarily close.[67] Loss of production and disruptions were expected to subtract 0.5% from the forecasteconomic growth in 2003.[8] TheConsumer Confidence Index dropped to its lowest level in five years, largely due to the typhoon damage and weakened economic conditions.[68] Following the strikes of Rusa and Maemi in consecutive years, the South Korean government worked on disaster management and mitigation programs.[32] In March 2004, the government passed the "Emergency and Safety Management Basic Act", largely due to the storm as well as theDaegu metro fire, which effectively set up a nationwide emergency management system.[69] The Gupo bridge damaged during the storm was repaired in 2007.[70]
Although the South Korean government did not request international aid, several countries sent aid to the country.[56] A few days after Maemi struck, theUnited States Agency for International Development sent $50,000 (USD) to the Korean Red Cross.[71] Later, the government of Japan sent ¥9.5 million (US$85,000)[nb 6] worth of supplies to South Korea, including sleeping mats, generators, and water units.[72] Taiwan also provided $100,000 in aid.[73] TheRepublic of Korea National Red Cross utilized 700 volunteers and 200 staff members to distribute food and blankets to 8,190 houses, while local offices provided over 5,500 meals.[13] Members ofFood for the Hungry delivered food and clothing to storm-damaged residents in Masan.[74]
As a result of the damage and deaths caused by the storm, theWorld Meteorological Organization retired the name Maemi in 2006 and replaced it withMujigae.[75]
Tropical cyclones of the2003 Pacific typhoon season | ||
|---|---|---|
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