Typhoon Kujira (2009)
Encyclopedia
Typhoon Kujira was first reported by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) on April 28. It is the fourth depression and the first typhoon of the season.The disturbance dissipated later that day however it regenerated early on April 30 within the southern islands of Luzon. It was then designated as a Tropical Depression during the next morning by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA), with PAGASA assigning the name Dante to the depression. However the JTWC did not designate the system as a depression until early on May 2 which was after the depression had made landfall on the Philippines
. Later that day Dante was upgraded to a Tropical Storm and was named as Kujira by the JMA. After it was christened as Kujira the cyclone started to rapidly intensify becoming a typhoon early on May 4, and then reaching its peak winds of 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min), 215 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) later that day after a small clear eye had developed.
Torrential rains produced by Typhoon Kujira in the Bicol Peninsula
triggered severe flooding and mudslides which killed 28 people and one missing.
reported that an area of convection had persisted about 230 km (142.9 mi) to the northeast of Puerto Real
in the Philippines
. The disturbance had deep convection which was flaring in association with a mid level circulation center and was in an area of low vertical wind shear. However the disturbance then dissipated later that day. The disturbance then regenerated early on April 30, with a broad low level circulation center and was nestled within the islands of southern Luzon. An upper level anticyclone just to the northwest was enhancing pole ward outflow. During that day the disturbance developed further with improved convective banding in the northern quadrant, however interaction with land was a major hindrance. Early on May 1, the disturbance was designated as a Tropical Depression by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency
, with PAGASA assigning the name Dante to the depression. Later that day PAGASA declared that Dante had made landfall on the Bicol Region
in Southeastern Luzon
. Early the next day the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
on the disturbance as whilst the low level circulation center had remained slow moving over southeastern Luzon the disturbance had a good outflow with convection starting to improve in terms of organization. Later that morning the JTWC designated the disturbance as Tropical Depression 01W. The Depression was being moved by the reverse oriented monsoon trough with a well formed low level circulation center with deep convective banding wrapping around the northern quadrant despite being close to land.
Later on May 2, both the JMA and the JTWC upgraded Dante to a Tropical Storm, with the JMA assigning the name of Kujira to the cyclone. During the next day Kujira quickly intensified due to favorable sea surface temperatures with the JMA upgrading it to a Severe Tropical Storm later that day, before becoming a Typhoon early on May 4 by both the JMA and the JTWC as animated infrared imagery was showing the development of an eye feature. Later that day both the JMA and the JTWC declared that Kujira had reached its peak wind speeds of 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min) 215 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) after Kujira had formed a small round eye. PAGASA then released their final advisory as Typhoon Kujira had moved out of the eastern edge of their area of responsibility as the typhoon had started to weaken due to convective banding around the low level circulation center beginning to unravel. After moving out of PAGASA's area of responsibility Kujira continued to weaken as it developed a cloud filled eye with the cyclone starting its extra tropical transition during May 6. Early the next day the JTWC downgraded Kujira to a Tropical Storm whilst the JMA downgraded the typhoon to a severe tropical storm as it had rapidly lost its vertical organization and was beginning to take on frontal characteristics a sign that the cyclone was becoming extratropical. As a result of this the JTWC issued its final advisory on Kujira, however the JMA kept issuing advisories on a weakening Kujira until they downgraded it to an extratropical low later that day. The extratropical low that was Kujira was then tracked by the JMA until early on May 13, when the JMA reported that Kujira had dissipated.
, Camarines Sur
, Albay
, Sorsogon
, Catanduanes
, Masbate
, Burias Island
and Southern Quezon
in Luzon
and Northern Samar
in Visayas
, under Public Storm Warning Signal number 1 which meant that winds off 30-60 km/h (20-35 mph) were expected to affect the provinces within 36 hours. They kept the same eight provinces under public storm signal 1 until late the next day, when they placed the Catanduanes under Public Storm Warning Signal number 2, which meant that winds of 60-100 km/h (35-60 mph), were expected to affect the Catandaunes within 24 hours. They kept these signals up until later that day, when they lowered them for all provinces.
, Camarines Sur
and Sorsogon
after 28 people had been killed and 8 had been injured. Over 3757 houses were damaged with 297 fully damaged.
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) on April 28. It is the fourth depression and the first typhoon of the season.The disturbance dissipated later that day however it regenerated early on April 30 within the southern islands of Luzon. It was then designated as a Tropical Depression during the next morning by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
(PAGASA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
(JMA), with PAGASA assigning the name Dante to the depression. However the JTWC did not designate the system as a depression until early on May 2 which was after the depression had made landfall on the Philippines
Philippines
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...
. Later that day Dante was upgraded to a Tropical Storm and was named as Kujira by the JMA. After it was christened as Kujira the cyclone started to rapidly intensify becoming a typhoon early on May 4, and then reaching its peak winds of 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min), 215 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) later that day after a small clear eye had developed.
Torrential rains produced by Typhoon Kujira in the Bicol Peninsula
Bicol Peninsula
Bicol is a peninsula of the Philippines. It is located on Luzon Island and is part of Bicol Region. The active Mayon Volcano is here....
triggered severe flooding and mudslides which killed 28 people and one missing.
Meteorological History
On April 28, the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint 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...
reported that an area of convection had persisted about 230 km (142.9 mi) to the northeast of Puerto Real
Puerto Real
Puerto Real is a seaport in southern Spain, in the province of Cádiz and the autonomous region of Andalusia. , it had a population 40,667....
in the Philippines
Philippines
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...
. The disturbance had deep convection which was flaring in association with a mid level circulation center and was in an area of low vertical wind shear. However the disturbance then dissipated later that day. The disturbance then regenerated early on April 30, with a broad low level circulation center and was nestled within the islands of southern Luzon. An upper level anticyclone just to the northwest was enhancing pole ward outflow. During that day the disturbance developed further with improved convective banding in the northern quadrant, however interaction with land was a major hindrance. Early on May 1, the disturbance was designated as a Tropical Depression by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
(PAGASA) and the Japan Meteorological Agency
Japan Meteorological Agency
The or JMA, is the Japanese government's weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport...
, with PAGASA assigning the name Dante to the depression. Later that day PAGASA declared that Dante had made landfall on the Bicol Region
Bicol Region
The Bicol Region or Bicolandia is one of the 17 regions of the Philippines. Its regional center is Legazpi City...
in Southeastern Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. Early the next day the JTWC issued 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...
on the disturbance as whilst the low level circulation center had remained slow moving over southeastern Luzon the disturbance had a good outflow with convection starting to improve in terms of organization. Later that morning the JTWC designated the disturbance as Tropical Depression 01W. The Depression was being moved by the reverse oriented monsoon trough with a well formed low level circulation center with deep convective banding wrapping around the northern quadrant despite being close to land.
Later on May 2, both the JMA and the JTWC upgraded Dante to a Tropical Storm, with the JMA assigning the name of Kujira to the cyclone. During the next day Kujira quickly intensified due to favorable sea surface temperatures with the JMA upgrading it to a Severe Tropical Storm later that day, before becoming a Typhoon early on May 4 by both the JMA and the JTWC as animated infrared imagery was showing the development of an eye feature. Later that day both the JMA and the JTWC declared that Kujira had reached its peak wind speeds of 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min) 215 km/h (135 mph) (1-min) after Kujira had formed a small round eye. PAGASA then released their final advisory as Typhoon Kujira had moved out of the eastern edge of their area of responsibility as the typhoon had started to weaken due to convective banding around the low level circulation center beginning to unravel. After moving out of PAGASA's area of responsibility Kujira continued to weaken as it developed a cloud filled eye with the cyclone starting its extra tropical transition during May 6. Early the next day the JTWC downgraded Kujira to a Tropical Storm whilst the JMA downgraded the typhoon to a severe tropical storm as it had rapidly lost its vertical organization and was beginning to take on frontal characteristics a sign that the cyclone was becoming extratropical. As a result of this the JTWC issued its final advisory on Kujira, however the JMA kept issuing advisories on a weakening Kujira until they downgraded it to an extratropical low later that day. The extratropical low that was Kujira was then tracked by the JMA until early on May 13, when the JMA reported that Kujira had dissipated.
Preparations
Early on May 1, PAGASA placed Camarines NorteCamarines Norte
Camarines Norte is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Daet and the province borders Quezon to the west and Camarines Sur to the south.-Demographics:...
, Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Pili and the province borders Camarines Norte and Quezon to the north, and Albay to the south...
, Albay
Albay
Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Legazpi City and the province borders Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is Lagonoy Gulf....
, Sorsogon
Sorsogon
Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...
, Catanduanes
Catanduanes
Catanduanes is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757 people.-Etymology:"Isla de Cobos" was Catanduanes' first...
, Masbate
Masbate
Masbate is an island province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region. Its capital is Masbate City and consists of three major islands: Masbate, Ticao and Burias.-History:...
, Burias Island
Burias Island
Burias Island is one of the three major islands of Masbate Province in the Philippines. The other two major Islands are Ticao Island and Masbate Island. The Island has two municipalities, Claveria and San Pascual....
and Southern Quezon
Quezon
-History:Originally, what now forms Quezon was divided among the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, and Nueva Ecija. The area was first explored by Juan de Salcedo in 1571-1572, during his expedition from Laguna to Camarines provinces....
in Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
and Northern Samar
Northern Samar
Northern Samar is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catarman and is located at the northern portion of the island of Samar. Bordering the province to the south are the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar...
in Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
, under Public Storm Warning Signal number 1 which meant that winds off 30-60 km/h (20-35 mph) were expected to affect the provinces within 36 hours. They kept the same eight provinces under public storm signal 1 until late the next day, when they placed the Catanduanes under Public Storm Warning Signal number 2, which meant that winds of 60-100 km/h (35-60 mph), were expected to affect the Catandaunes within 24 hours. They kept these signals up until later that day, when they lowered them for all provinces.
Impact
While in the Philippine area of responsibility, Kujira caused some 625,709,464 worth of damage to crops and livestock in Albay, Camarines Norte, Masbate and Sorsogon. It also caused some 102 million pesos worth of damage to communal irrigation systems in the region. The NDCC damage report update as of 6am PST May 12 declared 28 dead, one missing and 5 injured. Further, 383,457 people in 609 barangays of 60 municipalities and 4 cities in 5 provinces of Region V were affected by the storm. Damages are worth PhP1,228,422,344 Million or PhP1.228 Billion of which PhP 625,709,464 were in agriculture and PhP529.525 Million in infrastructure. Houses destroyed were at 2387, of which 138 were total and 2249 partial.Aftermath
President Arroyo instructed the local government to provide relief with water, foods, and clothes. In the aftermath of Kujira moving away from the Philippines, a state of calamity was declared in AlbayAlbay
Albay is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Legazpi City and the province borders Camarines Sur to the north and Sorsogon to the south. Also to the northeast is Lagonoy Gulf....
, Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur
Camarines Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Its capital is Pili and the province borders Camarines Norte and Quezon to the north, and Albay to the south...
and Sorsogon
Sorsogon
Sorsogon is a province of the Philippines located in the Bicol Region; it is the southernmost province in Luzon and is subdivided into fourteen municipalities and one city. Its capital is Sorsogon City and borders the province of Albay to the north...
after 28 people had been killed and 8 had been injured. Over 3757 houses were damaged with 297 fully damaged.
See also
- 2009 Pacific typhoon season2009 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2009 Pacific typhoon season was the period that tropical cyclones formed in the Western Pacific Ocean. The season ran throughout the year during 2009, with most tropical cyclones forming between May and November. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator...
- Typhoons in the PhilippinesTyphoons in the PhilippinesTyphoons in the Philippines refer in general to tropical cyclones that enter the Philippine area of responsibility and affect the Philippines. Locally they are called bagyo...
- Effects of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season in the PhilippinesEffects of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season in the PhilippinesThe effects of the 2009 Pacific typhoon season in the Philippines were considered some of the worst in decades. Throughout the year, series of typhoons impacted the country, with the worst damage occurring during September and October from Typhoons Ketsana and Parma.-Seasonal...