New tropical cyclone names in 2008

New tropical cyclone names in 2008
(29 May 2008)

In 2008, 5 new names have been added to the name list for tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea. They are "Leepi", "Sanba", "Maliksi", "Mangkhut" and "Son-Tinh", replacing the old names "Xangsane", "Chanchu", "Bilis", "Durian" and "Saomai" respectively.

The meaning of the new tropical cyclone names and the countries/regions which proposed these names are as follows:

According to the convention of the Typhoon Committee of the United Nations, the country or region which has suffered serious human casualties and economic losses from a tropical cyclone can propose to remove the name of the tropical cyclone from the name list. In 2006, Typhoon Chanchu, the most intense tropical cyclone on record to enter the South China Sea in May, rampaged through the coastal areas of southeastern China. In the South China Sea, several Vietnamese fishing boats capsized in the fury of Chanchu. At least 44 fishermen were killed and more than 160 reported missing. In July, Severe Tropical Storm Bilis brought heavy rain and landslides to the northern part of the Philippines, resulting in 14 people killed, 7 missing and 20 000 people left homeless. In August, Typhoon Saomai brought severe damage to Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. At least 460 people were killed and the direct economic losses exceeded RMB$ 23.8 billion. In September, Xangsane which made landfall over central Vietnam after crossing the Philippines, and dissipated in Thailand after moving inland, caused 42 deaths and evacuation of 200 000 people. Typhoon Durian crossed the central part of the Philippines in November. Heavy rain associated with Durian triggered widespread mudslides in the region. Over 570 people were killed and 746 missing. The damage to crops was estimated to be US$10 million.

Apart from the five new names mentioned above, the English spelling of 5 tropical cyclones proposed by Republic of Korea, namely, "Kaemi", "Chebi", "Noguri", "Changmi", and "Koni" is also slightly modified. Information about the latest tropical cyclone name list together with the meaning of the names is available at the Observatory's website (Chinese: http://www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/sound/tcname2008e.htm and English: http://www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/sound/tcname2008e.htm) for reference.