Overview of Tropical Cyclones in August 2019

Six tropical cyclones occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in August 2019, of which Wipha, Bailu and Podul necessitated the issuance of the tropical cyclone warning signals by the Observatory. The first No. 8 Gale or Storm Signal in the year was issued under the passage of Wipha.

Wipha formed as a tropical depression over the northern part of the South China Sea about 510 km south of Hong Kong on the afternoon of 30 July. It drifted northwards slowly during that night and next morning. Wipha intensified into a tropical storm on the morning of 31 July, later reaching its peak intensity with an estimated maximum sustained wind of 85 km/h near its centre. It started to pick up speed to move west-northwest towards Hainan Island in the afternoon. Wipha slowed down on the early morning of 1 August, making an anti-clockwise loop around the northeastern coast of Hainan Island. It picked up its speed to move northward again in the morning and then moved westward across the Leizhou Peninsula that night. Wipha moved across the coast of Guangxi and the vicinity of Beibu Wan on 2 August and weakened gradually. It degenerated into an area of low pressure over the northern part of Vietnam the next night.

According to press reports, at least six people were injured in Macao during the passage of Wipha. Wipha also brought torrential rain to the northern part of Vietnam, which triggered extensive flooding. At least 10 people were killed and 11 were reported missing. For detailed information of Wipha including its impact to Hong Kong, please refer to the Tropical Cyclone Report of Wipha.

Francisco formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 1 320 km east-southeast of Iwo Jima on the morning of 2 August. It took on a northwest course towards the vicinity of Kyushu of Japan and intensified gradually. Francisco intensified into a typhoon on the night of 5 August, reaching its peak intensity with an estimated sustained wind of 130 km/h near its centre. It swept across Kyushu of Japan the next day and weakened gradually. Francisco then moved northward across the Korean Peninsula and finally evolved into an extratropical cyclone over the sea areas east of the Korean Peninsula on the night of 7 August.

According to press reports, Francisco brought torrential rain and squalls to Kyushu of Japan during its passage, leading to at least one dead and three injuries. There were more than 17 000 households without electricity supply.

Lekima formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 1 180 km east of Manila on the small hours of 4 August. It tracked generally northwest towards the sea areas east of Taiwan and intensified gradually. Lekima intensified into a typhoon on 7 August and further developed into a super typhoon the next day, reaching its peak intensity with an estimated sustained wind of 195 km/h near its centre. Lekima moved across the East China Sea and weakened gradually in the following two days. Lekima made landfall over the coast of Zhejiang on the small hours of 10 August. It then turned northwards across the coastal region of eastern China and weakened into a tropical storm. Lekima moved slowly over the Bohai Sea on 12 August and evolved into an extratropical cyclone the next afternoon.

According to press reports, Lekima wreaked havoc with torrential rain in nine provinces and cities including Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, Fujian, Hebei, Liaoning and Jilin. There were at least 56 deaths and 14 missing. Over 14 million people were affected with direct economic loss exceeding 50 billion RMB. Under the influence of torrential rain brought by Lekima, there were at least two deaths and 11 injuries in Taiwan. At least four people were also injured in Ryukyu Islands during the passage of Lekima. Electricity supply to over 15 000 households was affected.

Krosa formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 810 km south-southeast of Iwo Jima on the afternoon of 6 August. While moving slowly, it intensified rapidly and developed into a severe typhoon on 9 August, reaching its peak intensity with an estimated sustained wind of 155 km/h near its centre. Krosa then started to weaken and picked up its speed to move northwards towards the vicinity of Kyushu and Shikoku of Japan on 14 August. After moving across Shikoku and the western part of Honshu of Japan on 15 August, Krosa finally evolved into an extratropical cyclone over the sea areas north of Honshu the next day.

According to press reports, Krosa brought torrential rain and squalls during its passage to Japan, leading to at least three deaths and 55 injuries. Over 800 flights were cancelled.

Bailu formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 1 460 km east-southeast of Gaoxiong on the afternoon of 21 August and drifted westwards at first. Bailu intensified into a tropical storm on 22 August and started to take on a northwesterly course towards the southern part of Taiwan in the afternoon. Bailu further intensified into a severe tropical storm that night. It reached its peak intensity on the night of 23 August with an estimated maximum sustained wind of 105 km/h near its centre. After sweeping across the southern part of Taiwan on 24 August, Bailu moved across the Taiwan Strait. It made landfall over Fujian the next morning and weakened into a tropical storm. Bailu moved further inland during the day and weakened into an area of low pressure over inland Guangdong on the small hours of 26 August.

According to press reports, Bailu brought at least one death and nine injuries to Taiwan during its passage. Over 100 000 households were without electricity supply. In Fujian, electricity supply to over 440 000 households was also interrupted. Air and land transportations were affected. For detailed information of Bailu including its impact to Hong Kong, please refer to the Tropical Cyclone Report of Bailu.

Podul formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 590 km east of Manila on the morning of 27 August. Drifting west-northwestwards quickly, it moved across Luzon that night. Podul continued to move westwards quickly across the central part of the South China Sea and intensified into a tropical storm on 28 August. Podul reached its peak intensity on the small hours of 29 August with an estimated maximum sustained wind of 85 km/h near its centre. Podul made landfall over the northern part of Vietnam on the small hours of 30 August and finally weakened into an area of low pressure over the Indo-China during the day.

According to press reports, one person was killed by strong waves during the passage of Podul in the Philippines. Podul also triggered a tornado in Hainan, killing at least eight people and leaving two others injured. Podul also left at least six deaths and two missing in Vietnam. For detailed information of Podul including its impact to Hong Kong, please refer to the Tropical Cyclone Report of Podul.

Provisional Tropical Cyclone Tracks in August 2019