Typhoon Bualoi

Typhoon Bualoi was a powerful Category 5 equivalent typhoon that caused damage across the coast of Japan. The fortieth tropical depression, and the eleventh typhoon of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season, Bualoi originated from a disturbance east of the Marshall Islands on October 17, 2019, that quickly organized to a tropical depression on October 19, given the designated name 22W. Favorable conditions strengthened the depression into a tropical storm and received the name Bualoi. Bualoi rapidly intensified and became a typhoon on October 20.

Typhoon Bualoi
Typhoon Bualoi at peak intensity while north of the Mariana Islands on October 22.
Meteorological history
FormedOctober 18, 2019
DissipatedOctober 25, 2019
Very strong typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure935 hPa (mbar); 27.61 inHg
Category 5-equivalent super typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds260 km/h (160 mph)
Lowest pressure922 hPa (mbar); 27.23 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities13 total
Damage$200 million
Areas affectedCaroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Japan
IBTrACS
Part of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season

The typhoon's rate of strengthening stopped on the following day, at which point became a Category 2-equivalent typhoon. Bualoi then underwent rapid intensification again and reached Category 4 strength on the same day. Bualoi reached its peak on October 22 as a Category 5-equivalent typhoon, with 10-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and one-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). Bualoi rapidly weakened into a Category 3-equivalent typhoon on October 23 due to wind shear and continued before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone and dissipating on October 25, 2019.

Meteorological history
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

On October 17, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center began monitoring a disturbance situated a couple hundred miles east of the Marshall Islands, and on October 19, the disturbance quickly organised into a tropical depression, giving it the numeral identifier 22W. Advisories began to be issued on the system as a conducive environment with very warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear allowed 22W to strengthen. By October 19, it became Tropical Storm Bualoi and on the following day, entered a period of rapid intensification.[1] Bualoi quickly became a severe tropical storm and then a typhoon soon afterwards. The rate of strengthening slowed until October 21, at which point Bualoi became a Category 2-equivalent typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Bualoi was located 105 km (65 mi) northeast of Saipan, 121 km (75 mi) of Tinian, 210 km (130 mi) south-southeast of Alamagan, and 314 km (195 mi) northeast from Guam. The system then recommenced its rapid intensification, strengthening to Category 3 six hours later, and proceeded to steadily intensify further to Category 4 later the same day.[2]

Satellite imagery of Typhoon Bualoi

Bualoi reached its peak intensity on October 22, with 10-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) and one-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), equivalent to a Category 5 major hurricane. The system rapidly weakened the following day on October 23, dropping to a category 3-equivalent typhoon.[3] On October 24, Bualoi was located 1,240-kilometre-wide (670-nautical-mile) south of Misawa, Japan and was heading north-northeast with maximum sustained winds near 165 km/h (103 mph).[4] NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite revealed that Bualoi looked asymmetric due to the wind shear. The JTWC issued the final bulletin on Bualoi as it began to transition into an extratropical cyclone before dissipating on October 25, 2019.[5]

Preparations, impact, and aftermath

Mariana Islands
Hourly precipitation from 5:00 - 25:00 (JST) on October 25th, 2019, of Tohoku, Kanto, and Chubu.

Ahead of Bualoi in the Mariana Islands, a Typhoon Warning was put in effect for the islands of Saipan and Tinian, with a Typhoon Watch in effect for Rota. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Watches were posted for the islands of Alamagan, Pagan, and Guam.[6] These were all discontinued by October 21.[7] Northern Mariana Islands Lieutenant Governor Arnold Palacios placed the territory under Typhoon Condition 3 on October 19.[8] This was upgraded to Typhoon Condition 4 by October 21.[9] A federal emergency declaration was approved for the islands by the Trump administration.[10] Schools and government buildings were closed with the threat of the typhoon on October 21.[11] The Commonwealth Utilities Corp. turned off water access ahead of Bualoi as a precaution.[12] As Bualoi neared its passage through the Mariana Islands, flash flood alerts and heavy rain warnings were put in effect.[13]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided aid to the Northern Mariana Islands after U.S. president Donald Trump signed the emergency declaration from the Commonwealth on October 20.[14]

Japan

Japan, mainly the Chiba Prefecture, was still recovering from Typhoon Faxai and Typhoon Hagibis.[15] Advisories were issued across the country and evacuations took place.[16][17] Warm, moist air flowed into the typhoon and caused Bualoi to flow heavy rain upon the prefecture on October 24, despite not reaching land. 27 rivers were flooded, with landslides and floods occurring across various locations. 13 people were killed and 8 were injured, with half of the fatalities being caused by automobile accidents. About 3,199 houses were flooded or damaged.[15] Total loss were finalized at US$200 million.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Typhoon Bualoi – 21-24 October 2019 — SSEC". www.ssec.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
  2. "Bualoi – Western Pacific Ocean – Hurricane And Typhoon Updates". blogs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  3. "Typhoon Bualoi on 23 October 2019 — SSEC". www.ssec.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  4. Center, NASA's Goddard Space Flight. "Satellite analysis reveals and asymmetric Typhoon Bualoi". phys.org. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  5. "Bualoi – Western Pacific Ocean – Hurricane And Typhoon Updates". blogs.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-19. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. "WEATHER UPDATE: Tinian, Saipan now under typhoon warning; Guam remains in tropical storm watch". The Guam Daily Post. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  7. Pacific Daily News (October 21, 2019). "8 p.m. Typhoon Bualoi update: Storm continues to intensify". Press & Sun-Bulletin. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  8. "CNMI in Typhoon Condition 3 in preparation for Tropical Storm Bualoi". Kandit News Group. October 19, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  9. "Guam remains in COR 4, Typhoon Bualoi continues toward Marianas". The Guam Daily Post. October 21, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  10. "Typhoon spurs federal emergency for Northern Mariana Islands". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. October 20, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  11. "Northern Marianas on alert for Typhoon Bualoi". Radio New Zealand. October 21, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  12. "Bualoi Update: Water Supply off at 9pm". Saipan Tribune. October 21, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  13. ECHO (October 21, 2019). "Japan, Northern Mariana Islands - Tropical Cyclone NEOGURI and BUALOI (GDACS, JTWC, JMA, NOAA, media) (Echo Daily Flash of 21 October 2019)". ReliefWeb. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  14. "President Donald J. Trump Signs Emergency Declaration for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands | FEMA.gov". www.fema.gov. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  15. "令和元年台風21号（2019年10月25日） ｜ 災害カレンダー". Yahoo!天気・災害 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  16. "令和元年台風第21号に関する情報". 気象庁. 2019-10-19. Archived from the original on 2019-10-20. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  17. "Spate of typhoon deaths during travel in cars underscores need for early evacuations". The Japan Times. 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  18. Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight: 2019 Annual Report (PDF). AON Benfield (Report). AON Benfield. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
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