Overview of Tropical Cyclones in January 2019

One tropical cyclone occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in January 2019.

Pabuk (1901) formed as a tropical depression over the southern part of the South China Sea about 690 km east-southeast of Hochiminh on the afternoon of 31 December 2018 and tracked west-southwestwards in the direction of the seas south of Vietnam. It turned to move westwards on 2 January 2019. Pabuk intensified into a tropical storm and moved across the Gulf of Thailand the next day. It reached its peak intensity with an estimated maximum sustained wind of 85 km/h near its centre on the small hours of 4 January. Pabuk moved across the Malay Peninsula that night and weakened. After entering the Andaman Sea the next day, it further weakened into a tropical depression. Pabuk finally degenerated into an area of low pressure over the Bay of Bengal on 7 January.

According to press reports, Pabuk brought heavy rain to Vietnam, leaving at least one death and six injuries. According to the Thai Meteorological Department, Pabuk was the first tropical cyclone making landfall over Thailand in January since record began in 1951. The torrential rain and squalls brought by Pabuk triggered flooding and landslides in Thailand, killing at least eight people. There was also one death report in Malaysia during the passage of Pabuk.

Provisional Tropical Cyclone Track in January 2019