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Tropical Storm Kim (1983)
Encyclopedia
Tropical Storm Kim was the only storm of 1983 to move from the Western Pacific basin into the North Indian Ocean
basin as it moved across southern Indochina
and into the Bay of Bengal
as a tropical depression. Although Kim was a weak tropical storm, it still managed to cause 200 deaths and heavy crop damage in Indochina
.
. On October 14, the disturbance moved into the Sulu Sea
it lost its convective signature and was no longer identifiable as a Tropical disturbance, however the next day the system moved into the South China Sea
and rapidly developed into a Tropical depression. At this time the southwest monsoon was well developed in the South China Sea and provided a favourable environment for further development of the depression.
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
was then released on the Tropical Depression, early on October 16, as Kim was expected to intensify into a Tropical Storm within 24 hours. The depression then intensified further and according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) attained Tropical storm intensity later that day at 1200 UTC. However the Tropical Storm was not named Kim until six hours later when the JTWC started issuing advisories on the Tropical Storm. This came as Tropical storm Kim reached both its 1-min and 10-min peek winds of 75 km/h (45 mph). Five hours later Kim made landfall on the coast of Vietnam
. The JTWC then stopped issuing advisories early the next day as Kim's circulation had rapidly weakened over land. Kim was then downgraded to a Tropical depression the next morning whilst it crossed the border from Vietnam into Cambodia
, six hours later as Kim lost some more of its organisation it was downgraded to a Tropical disturbance. Over the next couple of days the remnants of Kim continued to move across Indochina with a lot of convection, while visual satellite imagery was showing indications that a mid to low level circulation center was apparent.
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was then issued for the remnants of Kim during the afternoon of October 18, when it became apparent that the remnants of Kim would move into the Andaman Sea
and that regeneration was considered possible. Early the next day, the JTWC started to reissue warnings on Kim as it regenerated into a Tropical Depression. At this stage Kim was expected to move across the southern tip of Burma and intensify further in the Bay of Bengal
. Whilst Kim moved across southern Burma as expected, it never moved into the Bay of Bengal, instead Kim moved northwards along the coast of Burma, parallel to the Arakan Mountain Range and gradually weakened. The JTWC issued their last warning on Kim at 1800z on October 20 as it was dissipating over the Arakan Mountains.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
basin as it moved across southern Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
and into the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
as a tropical depression. Although Kim was a weak tropical storm, it still managed to cause 200 deaths and heavy crop damage in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
.
Meteorological history
On October 9, 1983, a weak tropical disturbance formed to the northeast of Truk. Over the next few days the disturbance moved towards the west and was a persistent feature on satellite imagery, however the disturbance showed no signs off developing and was expected to dissipate over the southern PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. On October 14, the disturbance moved into the Sulu Sea
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
it lost its convective signature and was no longer identifiable as a Tropical disturbance, however the next day the system moved into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
and rapidly developed into a Tropical depression. At this time the southwest monsoon was well developed in the South China Sea and provided a favourable environment for further development of the depression.
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone forming from a tropical disturbance that has been...
was then released on the Tropical Depression, early on October 16, as Kim was expected to intensify into a Tropical Storm within 24 hours. The depression then intensified further and according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
(JTWC) attained Tropical storm intensity later that day at 1200 UTC. However the Tropical Storm was not named Kim until six hours later when the JTWC started issuing advisories on the Tropical Storm. This came as Tropical storm Kim reached both its 1-min and 10-min peek winds of 75 km/h (45 mph). Five hours later Kim made landfall on the coast of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The JTWC then stopped issuing advisories early the next day as Kim's circulation had rapidly weakened over land. Kim was then downgraded to a Tropical depression the next morning whilst it crossed the border from Vietnam into Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, six hours later as Kim lost some more of its organisation it was downgraded to a Tropical disturbance. Over the next couple of days the remnants of Kim continued to move across Indochina with a lot of convection, while visual satellite imagery was showing indications that a mid to low level circulation center was apparent.
A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was then issued for the remnants of Kim during the afternoon of October 18, when it became apparent that the remnants of Kim would move into the Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
and that regeneration was considered possible. Early the next day, the JTWC started to reissue warnings on Kim as it regenerated into a Tropical Depression. At this stage Kim was expected to move across the southern tip of Burma and intensify further in the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
. Whilst Kim moved across southern Burma as expected, it never moved into the Bay of Bengal, instead Kim moved northwards along the coast of Burma, parallel to the Arakan Mountain Range and gradually weakened. The JTWC issued their last warning on Kim at 1800z on October 20 as it was dissipating over the Arakan Mountains.
