User:Tavantius/1978 Pacific typhoon season
Systems
[edit]Typhoon Bess (Auring)
[edit]| Typhoon (JMA) | |
| Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS) | |
| Duration | March 19 – March 25 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 960 hPa (mbar) |
On March 16, synoptic data noted that a weak surface circulation existed along the base of a tropical wave. Pulsating in convection throughout the next two days, another low-pressure area formed north of this disturbance on March 18. This low-pressure area produced cyclonic shear over the circulation, causing the southern disturbance to weaken while the low itself developed. This resulted in the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the northern disturbance at 23:15 UTC that same day.[1] As a result of this, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) noted that the northern low had developed into a tropical depression.[2] Slowly developing soon after, on March 21, the depression intensified into a tropical storm,[2] being named Tropical Storm Bess by the JTWC.[1]
Early the next day, Bess intensified into a typhoon,[2] becoming the third tropical cyclone since 1959 to become a typhoon in March.[1] Slowly intensifying soon after, later that day, Bess peaked with sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km/h).[2] Around that time, Bess crossed into the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), causing the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to name it Auring.[3] Later the next day, Bess began recurving northeastward,[1] causing PAGASA to stop tracking it as it exited the PAR.[3] However, on March 24, Bess entered an hostile environment with strong westerlies and colder SSTs, causing it to rapidly weaken into a tropical storm just a few hours later.[1] Bess further weakened, becoming a tropical depression early the next day prior to dissipating.[2]
Other systems
[edit]Many systems either did not intensify past a tropical depression, were not numbered, or in the case of Typhoon Alice, crossed into 1979.
Typhoon Alice
[edit]| Very strong typhoon (JMA) | |
| Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS) | |
| Duration | December 31, 1978 – January 15, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 175 km/h (110 mph) (10-min); 930 hPa (mbar) |
On 12:00 UTC on December 31, 1979, the JMA stated that a tropical disturbance developing near the equator had became a tropical depression.[2] The JTWC followed suit in the upgrade twelve hours later, and soon after declared a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert at 03:00 UTC on January 1, 1979. Tracking towards the northwest, atmospheric conditions became more favorable for intensification farther from the equator. The tropical depression became sufficiently organized to be named Tropical Storm Alice by the JTWC at 18:00 UTC that day.[4] Over the next several days, Alice meandered through the Marshall Islands without much change in strength,[4] steered by a transient shortwave trough.[4] The trough's influence soon abated, allowing a nearby ridge of high pressure to restrengthen and induce a westerly bearing to Alice's motion.[4]
Alice strengthened into a typhoon on January 6 and continued to intensify thereafter, reaching a peak intensity on January 8 with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 930 mbar (hPa; 27.46 inHg).[2] Concurrently, the typhoon accelerated to a forward speed of 16 mph (26 km/h) and began to weaken. An area of wind shear southeast of Guam slowed Alice's movement on January 9 as a region of cooler and drier air north of this region caused Alice to weaken further. Two days later, a second trough over eastern Asia resulted in Alice curving north.[4] During this trek, the typhoon restrengthened, reaching a secondary peak with winds of 105 mph (165 km/h) on January 11.[2] However, this second peak was short-lived as Alice's circulation began to vertically decouple as its low-level circulation tracked directly into some westerly wind shear.[4] The typhoon weakened into a tropical storm on January 13 and degenerated further into a tropical depression 18 hours later; these remnants later dissipated on January 15.[4][2]
In its earlier stages of development, Alice passed near several of the Marshall Islands.[4] At the time, nuclear waste cleanup operations were ongoing at Enewetak Atoll following the United States' postwar nuclear tests there.[5] Significant shoreline damage occurred along the lagoon-facing shores of the Kwajalein Missile Range, compounded by Alice's nearly stationary movement.[6] Some buildings collapsed due to the winds.[5] The storm cut off all power, forcing nuclear waste cleanup crews on the atoll to use emergency generators.[7] The damage toll was estimated at between US$50,000–$500,000.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Shewchuk, John D. (1979). "Typhoon Betty" (PDF). 1979 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (Report). Annual Tropical Cyclone Reports. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands: Joint Typhoon Warning Center. pp. 25–28. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i RSMC Best Track Data: 1970–1979 (TXT) (Report). Tokyo, Japan: Japan Meteorological Agency. October 21, 1992. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Padua, Michael V. (November 6, 2008). PAGASA Tropical Cyclone Names 1963–1988 (TXT) (Report). Typhoon 2000. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Shewchuk, John D. (1979). "Typhoon Alice" (PDF). 1979 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (Report). Annual Tropical Cyclone Reports. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands: Joint Typhoon Warning Center. pp. 23–24. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ a b "Soil Cleanup Operations". The Radiological Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Defense Nuclear Agency. 1981. pp. 348–352. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ Lee, Michael T. (December 1985). US Department of the Army Permit Application for Discharge of Fill Material for the Kwajalein Atoll Causeway Project (Environmental Impact Statement). United States Army Corps of Engineers. p. IV-6. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ "International briefs". The Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta, Canada. United Press International. January 6, 1979. p. A4. Retrieved July 20, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "January 1979" (PDF). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena. 21 (1). Asheville, North Carolina: National Centers for Environmental Information: 7. January 1979. Retrieved July 20, 2019.