page_title: Typhoon Koppu
section_title: Preparations and impact
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Koppu / Preparations and impact
caption_attribution_description: English: Highest PSWS raised by PAGASA as Lando traversed Luzon
context_page_description: Typhoon Koppu, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Lando, was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that struck Luzon in October 2015. It was the twenty-fourth named storm and the fifteenth typhoon of the annual typhoon season. Similar to Goni earlier in the year, Koppu originated from a tropical disturbance east of the Mariana Islands on October 10. Moving briskly west, the system consolidated into a tropical depression the following day and further into a tropical storm on October 13. Situated over the warm waters of the Philippine Sea, Koppu quickly deepened. The storm reached its peak intensity on October 17 with ten-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center assessed Koppu to have been a Category 4-equivalent super typhoon with one-minute sustained winds of 240 km/h. The storm subsequently made landfall at this strength near Casiguran, Philippines. Rapid weakening ensued due to interaction with the mountainous terrain of Luzon and the disheveled core of Koppu emerged over the West Philippine Sea on October 19.
context_section_description: PAGASA began issuing Public Storm Warning Signals (PSWS) for the Philippines starting on October 15, at which time Koppu was situated 755 km (469 mi) east of Baler, Aurora. The advised areas were initially concentrated around east-central Luzon. As the typhoon intensified, the PSWS levels were raised and expanded. At 09:00 UTC on October 17, PSWS #4—the second-highest level—was issued for Aurora Province as winds of 171 to 220 km/h (106 to 137 mph) were anticipated in the province within 12 hours; this was expanded to include southern Isabela Province hours later. Following the storm's landfall, PSWS were gradually lowered over the subsequent several days. Nearly 24,000 people evacuated ahead of the typhoon's arrival while numerous schools, businesses, and government offices closed. A total of 88 flights were canceled.
  Powerful winds caused widespread damage and disruption across Luzon. Nine provinces suffered total power outages and throughout the affected regions of Luzon, approximately 9 million people—roughly 10 percent of the entire nation—lost electricity. Aurora Province sustained a direct hit from the typhoon. Nearly every structure in Casiguran was damaged or destroyed. The nearby towns of Dinalungan and Dilasag were rendered inaccessible. Torrential rains fell across much of region, with western coastal areas seeing the highest accumulations. A storm total of 1,077.8 mm (42.43 in) was observed in Baguio, with 800 mm (31 in) falling in a 24-hour span. Just south of Baguio at the San Roque Dam, an unconfirmed 24-hour accumulation of 1,317 mm (51.9 in), including 717 mm (28.2 in) in 12 hours, was reported. If verified, these would be the greatest 12- and 24-hour rainfall totals on record in the Philippines. The heaviest rains were fairly concentrated, with Quezon City in Metro Manila to the south recording only 97.8 mm (3.85 in). Along the northwestern coast, Vigan saw 200.2 mm (7.88 in) accumulate.
  Approximately 1.24 million people were directly affected by the storm; at one point, 113,584 people moved to evacuation centers. Throughout the affected regions, 17,254 homes were damaged and 1,504 were destroyed. 62 people were killed, and total damage reached ₱14.4 billion (US$313 million).
  In the central Philippines, two motorboats capsized in separate incidents resulting in a collective ten fatalities. Virac and Daet saw 179.4 mm (7.06 in) and 152.3 mm (6.00 in) of rain, respectively, as Koppu passed to the north.
caption: Highest PSWS raised by PAGASA across the Philippines in relation to Typhoon Koppu
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