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Typhoon Soulik (2006)
Encyclopedia
Typhoon Soulik was the 18th named storm and 11th typhoon of the 2006 Pacific typhoon season
. Soulik formed out of an area of disturbed weather over the open waters of the western Pacific Ocean
during early October 2006. The Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA) designated the system as a tropical depression on October 8 and later a tropical storm the next day. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) followed suit shortly after, classifying the system as Tropical Storm 21W. The storm gradually intensified into a typhoon on October 12 before nearly stalling close to Iwo Jima
. On October 14, the storm began to accelerate and weaken due to increasing wind shear
. Around 1200 UTC
on October 16, Soulik transitioned into an extratropical cyclone
before dissipating the next day. Typhoon Soulik had only minor effects on land throughout its existence, despite passing very close to Iwo Jima at peak intensity.
. Scattered convection
was associated with the disturbance but no low-level circulation
had developed. On October 8, an area of low pressure
developed underneath the convection and the Japan Meteorological Agency
(JMA) began monitoring the system as a tropical depression. Later that day, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
(JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert
for the system. An overpass from a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
satellite showed convective banding features
developing in the northern portion of the system. An upper-level anticyclone
to the north and a tropical upper tropospheric trough
cell to the west of the disturbance, along with low vertical wind shear
, provided enhanced outflow
for the developing disturbance. Early on October 9, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Depression 21W.
Tracking along the edge of a ridge
located north of Wake Island
, the depression traveled steadily towards the northwest. Several hours later, the JMA upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and gave it the name Soulik; a name contributed by the Federated States of Micronesia
, which is a traditional Pohnpei
Chief's title. Later that day, the JTWC also upgraded Soulik to a tropical storm. Slow intensification took place over the next several days due to restricted outflow and moderate wind shear. The storm took a west-northwestward track along the edge of a subtropical
ridge, eventually turning towards the northwest in the direction of Iwo Jima
. Around 1200 UTC
on October 10, the JTWC upgraded Soulik to a typhoon, while the JMA kept Soulik as a severe tropical storm until late on October 12. Another subtropical ridge located west of Soulik built towards the north, causing the storm to turn towards the north. As Soulik neared Iwo Jima, the influenced of both subtropical ridges caused the typhoon to become nearly stationary about 100 km (65 mi) south-southwest of the island.
At this time, both agencies assessed the storm to have reached its peak intensity. According to the JTWC, Soulik attained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph 1-minute winds) while the JMA reported that the storm attained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph 10-minute winds). At 0600 UTC on October 14, Soulik made its closest approach to Iwo Jima, passing within 40 km (25 mi) of the island. According to the JTWC, this would place the island within an area affected by typhoon-force winds. Later that day, an approaching trough
enhanced the westerly wind shear, causing the typhoon to weaken. By October 15, the forward motion of the storm increased significantly as it began to undergo an extratropical transition
. Later that day, the JTWC downgraded Soulik to a tropical storm, while the JMA kept the storm as a typhoon until early the next day. By 1200 UTC on October 16, Soulik completed its extratropical transition as it rapidly traveled towards the northeast. The extratropical remnants persisted for another day before dissipating south of the Aleutian Islands on October 17.
on October 9, a tropical storm watch
was issued for Agrihan
in the northern Mariana Islands
. The next day, the tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning as Soulik approached the island. Residents were advised to secure loose objects which may become airborne during the storm, stay away from coastlines, secure boats, and move to a safe location with available food and water. Officials also warned about the possibility of mudslides due to heavy rain. The warning was later cancelled as Soulik moved away from the Mariana Islands later on October 11.
A total of 8.11 inches (205.9 mm) of rain was recorded on Pagan Island
. Sustained winds on the island reached 58 km/h (36 mph) and gusts reached 122 km/h (76 mph). The lowest pressure
recorded was 998.8 hPa
(mbar
). No damage was caused by Soulik as it passed by the northern Mariana Islands
. A storm surge
of 2.4 to 3.3 m (8 to 11 ft) was anticipated along with coastal flooding up to 0.6 m (2 ft). Waves up to 7.6 m (25 ft) affected the Bonin Islands. On Iwo Jima
, winds were recorded up to 160 km/h (100 mph) with gusts up to 210 km/h (130 mph). Although Soulik spent over a day near Iwo Jima, no damage was reported as a result of the storm.
2006 Pacific typhoon season
The 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 2006, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November...
. Soulik formed out of an area of disturbed weather over the open waters of the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
during early October 2006. 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) designated the system as a tropical depression on October 8 and later a tropical storm the next day. 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) followed suit shortly after, classifying the system as Tropical Storm 21W. The storm gradually intensified into a typhoon on October 12 before nearly stalling close to Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. On October 14, the storm began to accelerate and weaken due to increasing wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. Around 1200 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on October 16, Soulik transitioned into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
before dissipating the next day. Typhoon Soulik had only minor effects on land throughout its existence, despite passing very close to Iwo Jima at peak intensity.
Meteorological history
On October 6, a tropical disturbance developed about 240 km (150 mi) north-northeast of KwajaleinKwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
. Scattered convection
Atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference, layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the height of the planetary boundary layer leads to...
was associated with the disturbance but no low-level circulation
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
had developed. On October 8, an area of low pressure
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
developed underneath the convection 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) began monitoring the system as a tropical depression. Later that day, 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) 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...
for the system. An overpass from a Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission is a joint space mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency designed to monitor and study tropical rainfall. The term refers to both the mission itself and the satellite that the mission uses to collect data...
satellite showed convective banding features
Rainband
A rainband is a cloud and precipitation structure associated with an area of rainfall which is significantly elongated. Rainbands can be stratiform or convective, and are generated by differences in temperature. When noted on weather radar imagery, this precipitation elongation is referred to as...
developing in the northern portion of the system. An upper-level anticyclone
Anticyclone
An anticyclone is a weather phenomenon defined by the United States' National Weather Service's glossary as "[a] large-scale circulation of winds around a central region of high atmospheric pressure, clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"...
to the north and a tropical upper tropospheric trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
cell to the west of the disturbance, along with low vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, provided enhanced outflow
Outflow (meteorology)
Outflow, in meteorology, is air that flows outwards from a storm system. It is associated with ridging, or anticyclonic flow. In the low levels of the troposphere, outflow radiates from thunderstorms in the form of a wedge of rain-cooled air, which is visible as a thin rope-like cloud on weather...
for the developing disturbance. Early on October 9, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Depression 21W.
Tracking along the edge of a ridge
Ridge (meteorology)
A ridge is an elongated region of relatively high atmospheric pressure, the opposite of a trough....
located north of Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
, the depression traveled steadily towards the northwest. Several hours later, the JMA upgraded the depression to a tropical storm and gave it the name Soulik; a name contributed by the Federated States of Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia or FSM is an independent, sovereign island nation, made up of four states from west to east: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. It comprises approximately 607 islands with c...
, which is a traditional Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
Chief's title. Later that day, the JTWC also upgraded Soulik to a tropical storm. Slow intensification took place over the next several days due to restricted outflow and moderate wind shear. The storm took a west-northwestward track along the edge of a subtropical
Subtropical cyclone
A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were unclear whether they should be characterized as tropical or extratropical cyclones. They were officially recognized by the National...
ridge, eventually turning towards the northwest in the direction of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. Around 1200 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on October 10, the JTWC upgraded Soulik to a typhoon, while the JMA kept Soulik as a severe tropical storm until late on October 12. Another subtropical ridge located west of Soulik built towards the north, causing the storm to turn towards the north. As Soulik neared Iwo Jima, the influenced of both subtropical ridges caused the typhoon to become nearly stationary about 100 km (65 mi) south-southwest of the island.
At this time, both agencies assessed the storm to have reached its peak intensity. According to the JTWC, Soulik attained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph 1-minute winds) while the JMA reported that the storm attained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph 10-minute winds). At 0600 UTC on October 14, Soulik made its closest approach to Iwo Jima, passing within 40 km (25 mi) of the island. According to the JTWC, this would place the island within an area affected by typhoon-force winds. Later that day, an approaching trough
Trough (meteorology)
A trough is an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure, often associated with fronts.Unlike fronts, there is not a universal symbol for a trough on a weather chart. The weather charts in some countries or regions mark troughs by a line. In the United States, a trough may be marked...
enhanced the westerly wind shear, causing the typhoon to weaken. By October 15, the forward motion of the storm increased significantly as it began to undergo an extratropical transition
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Later that day, the JTWC downgraded Soulik to a tropical storm, while the JMA kept the storm as a typhoon until early the next day. By 1200 UTC on October 16, Soulik completed its extratropical transition as it rapidly traveled towards the northeast. The extratropical remnants persisted for another day before dissipating south of the Aleutian Islands on October 17.
Preparations and impact
At 0600 UTCCoordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on October 9, a tropical storm watch
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches
Warnings and watches are two levels of alert issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local population and civil authorities to make appropriate...
was issued for Agrihan
Agrihan
Agrihan is a stratovolcano which forms an island in the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The entire island is a massive volcano which rises over from the ocean floor, and is the fifth largest in the Marianas volcanic arc. At , its summit is the highest point in Micronesia...
in the northern Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. The next day, the tropical storm watch was upgraded to a tropical storm warning as Soulik approached the island. Residents were advised to secure loose objects which may become airborne during the storm, stay away from coastlines, secure boats, and move to a safe location with available food and water. Officials also warned about the possibility of mudslides due to heavy rain. The warning was later cancelled as Soulik moved away from the Mariana Islands later on October 11.
A total of 8.11 inches (205.9 mm) of rain was recorded on Pagan Island
Pagan Island
Pagan is an island of the Northern Mariana Islands chain,located at , approximately 320 kilometers northof Saipan.Pagan has an area of 47.23 km² , making it the fourth largest island of the Northern Marianas, and consists of two stratovolcanoes joined by a narrow strip of land.The...
. Sustained winds on the island reached 58 km/h (36 mph) and gusts reached 122 km/h (76 mph). The lowest pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
recorded was 998.8 hPa
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
(mbar
Bar (unit)
The bar is a unit of pressure equal to 100 kilopascals, and roughly equal to the atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea level. Other units derived from the bar are the megabar , kilobar , decibar , centibar , and millibar...
). No damage was caused by Soulik as it passed by the northern Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. A storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...
of 2.4 to 3.3 m (8 to 11 ft) was anticipated along with coastal flooding up to 0.6 m (2 ft). Waves up to 7.6 m (25 ft) affected the Bonin Islands. On Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, winds were recorded up to 160 km/h (100 mph) with gusts up to 210 km/h (130 mph). Although Soulik spent over a day near Iwo Jima, no damage was reported as a result of the storm.
See also
- 2006 Pacific typhoon season2006 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 2006, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November...
- Timeline of the 2006 Pacific typhoon seasonTimeline of the 2006 Pacific typhoon seasonThe 2006 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 2006, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December...