Typhoon Bopha

Pacific typhoon in 2012

Typhoon Bopha (Pablo)
Bopha approaching the Philippines at peak intensity on December 4
Meteorological history
FormedNovember 25, 2012
DissipatedDecember 9, 2012
Very strong typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure930 hPa (mbar); 27.46 inHg
Category 5-equivalent super typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds280 km/h (175 mph)
Lowest pressure911 hPa (mbar); 26.90 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities1,901
Damage$1.16 billion (2012 USD)
(Third-costliest in Philippine history)
Areas affectedCaroline Islands, Palau, Philippines
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Part of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Bopha, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pablo, was the strongest tropical cyclone on record to ever affect the Philippine island of Mindanao, making landfall as a Category 5 super typhoon with winds of 175 mph (282 km/h).[1] The twenty-fourth tropical storm, along with being the fourth and final super typhoon of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season, Bopha originated unusually close to the equator, becoming the second-most southerly Category 5 super typhoon, reaching a minimum latitude of 7.4°N on December 3, 2012, as only Typhoon Louise of 1964 came closer to the equator at this strength, at 7.3°N.[1] After first making landfall in Palau, where it destroyed houses, disrupted communications and caused power outages, flooding and uprooted trees, Bopha made landfall late on December 3 in Mindanao. The storm caused widespread destruction on Mindanao, leaving thousands of people homeless and killing 1,901 people.[2][3][4]

After hitting Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro provinces, Bopha shifted through the southern and central regions of Mindanao, cutting power to two provinces and triggering landslides. More than 170,000 people fled to evacuation centers, as the system moved to the South China Sea west of the Palawan island province, eventually dissipating on December 9.

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
circle Tropical cyclone
square Subtropical cyclone
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression