12.04.12
Super Typhoon Bopha’s Philippine Landfall
Yesterday I posted about Typhoon Bopha and its proximity to the equator. Bopha went on to strengthen to the equivalent of a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, and made landfall in the Southern Philippines as a Super Typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph.
NASA image of Super Typhoon Bopha just prior to landfall in the Philippines. From Wikipedia.
To quote again from an article on The Weather Channel’s website:
“Dating to 1945, there have been only 4 other typhoons that have tracked within 200 nautical miles of Davao, Philippines (on Mindanao Island) with an intensity of at least a category-four storm, including Mike (“Ruping”) above:
- Mike “Ruping” (1990)
- Ike “Nitang” (1984)
- Kate “Titang” (1970)
- Louise:Marge “Ining” (1964)
Only “Ruping” and “Ining” were the equivalent of category-five storms.”
Furthermore, the article cites Dr. Jeff Masters of Weather Underground saying Bopha formed closer to the equator (at 3.8°N) than any other tropical cyclone on record, and nearly became the closest to the equator Category 5 storm (at 7.4°N). Only Super Typhoon Louise in 1964 was closer at Category 5 strength, at 7.3°N.