TROPICAL CYCLONES (TC) [Fig
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TROPICAL CYCLONES (TC) [Fig. 2] While the early part of this Northwest Pacific cyclone season was relatively calm, the latter part has neared normal. Five tropical cyclones were analysed in the RSMC area during the month, one of which became a Typhoon. The comparative long-term means for tropical cyclone formation in August are 6.1 tropical storms (3.3 typhoons) for the north-western Pacific Ocean, 0.3 for the South Pacific and Indian Oceans combined and 0.3 for the northern Indian Ocean including the Bay of Bengal. Severe Tropical Strom Dianmu The tropical depression named “Ester” by PAGASA upgraded to a tropical storm on the 8th of August by JMA and named “Dianmu”, the mother of lightning in Chinese folklore. Dianmu reached a maximum intensity of 55 knots at 00 UTC on the 10th over the East China Sea. Dianmu skirted the southern tip of South Korea on the 11th bringing 50 knot winds and heavy rainfall causing loss of life and considerable damage to property. On the 12th of August Dianmu made landfall on the east side of Japan, progressed quickly across the country, and exited on the east side only about five hours later. Typhoon Kompasu Beginning early on the 28th, an area of low pressure, located northwest of Guam, began to organize into a tropical depression. The system experienced low vertical windshear and was located over a sea surface that was near 30 ºC. These favourable conditions allowed for the intensification of the storm, which got named “Glenda” by PAGASA. On the morning of the 29th the north-westward moving storm upgraded to a tropical storm. A short time later JMA named the storm “Kompasu”, a Japanese word meaning “Compass”. Kompasu continued to intensify as it moved northwest over very warm water. On the 30th Kompasu rapidly intensified to a typhoon reaching maximum wind speeds of 80 knots at 00 UTC on the 31st making it the strongest typhoon of the season to date. Typhoon Kompasu slammed Japan’s southern island of Okinawa. The storm’s eye was over Nago on Okinawa Island at 5:45 p.m. local time on the 31st. Kompasu may have been accelerated toward the northwest due to interaction with tropical storm Namtheun. On September 1st Kompasu entered the Yellow Sea with sustained winds of 75 knots, and weakened as it curved to the northeast and made landfall near North Korea’s southern boarder causing loss of life and severe damage to property. South Korean media reported that Kompasu was the strongest tropical storm to hit the Seoul metropolitan area in 15 years (Possibly referring to Typhoon Faye and tropical storm Janis which both clobbered Seoul in 1995). Kompasu weakened to a tropical storm while over the Korean Peninsula, and then entered the Sea of Japan on the 2nd of September. Severe Tropical Storm Lionrock Lionrock began as a low pressure system to the east of the Philippine Islands. The low pressure system became a tropical storm on the 28th of August as it meandered to the northwest. Lionrock stalled in the South China Sea for about three days. The maximum wind speed of 50 knots occurred at 06 UTC on the 30th of August. On the 31st Lionrock began to move north due to a Fujiwhara interaction with tropical storm Namtheun. Lionrock made landfall shortly after 00 UTC on the 2nd of February near the city of Shantou on the east coast of Guangdong Provence, China. 2.