page_title: Typhoon Mike
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Mike / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane ScaleTDTS12345 English: Typhoon Mike (1990) track. Uses the color scheme from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
context_page_description: Super Typhoon Mike was the strongest and deadliest typhoon of the 1990 Pacific typhoon season as it crossed the Philippines in November.
context_section_description: An area of persistent convection over the Caroline Islands was first noted in the Significant Tropical Weather Advisory on November 6. As it headed westward, its outflow rapidly improved, with banding and a more circular cloud pattern. The organization continued, and it was upgraded to Tropical Depression 27W on the 7th. Early on the 8th, the depression strengthened to Tropical Storm Mike near the island of Yap.
  Mike continued its westward movement and its intensification rate, and became a typhoon early on November 9, the 18th of the season. At this time, a weakness in the subtropical ridge, which kept the storm on its westward movement, was bring Mike northward. This did not occur, and Mike kept its persistent westward motion. On November 10, the typhoon rapidly intensified, reaching peak winds of 165 mph later that day. In a 48-hour period, the typhoon deepened 99 millibars to a minimum central pressure of 915 mb.
  Mike retained its intensity of 165 mph winds for a day as it approached the Philippines. Fortunately for the archipelago, the combination of an eyewall replacement cycle and land interaction to its west weakened the super typhoon. Nevertheless, Mike still hit the eastern Philippines as a 140 mph typhoon on November 12. The typhoon further weakened to an 85 mph typhoon while crossing the islands, but in the South China Sea, conditions favored slight strengthening.
  Mike reached a secondary peak of 95 mph winds on November 14, but land interaction with Vietnam again weakened it to a minimal typhoon. The forecast break in the subtropical ridge finally occurred on the 15th, causing a northwest motion. Vertical shear increased, weakening Mike to a tropical storm on the 16th. Early the next day, the storm passed over western Hainan Island, and degraded to a tropical depression that night. After a brief passage over the Gulf of Tonkin Mike hit southern China where it dissipated on November 18.
caption: Storm path
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