page_title: Typhoon Cimaron (2006)
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Cimaron (2006)
caption_attribution_description: Super Typhoon Cimaron struck the northernmost large island in the Philippines, Luzon, on October 29, 2006. According to BBC News Service, the typhoon was the most powerful to strike the island chain since 1998, lashing Luzon with 200-kilometer-an-hour (125-mile-per-hour) winds and torrential rain. As of October 30, 13 deaths directly attributable to the storm had been reported. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on October 29, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. local time (5:00 UTC). Super Typhoon Cimaron was a tightly wound ball of clouds just hours from landfall on Luzon. Winds were around 255 kilometers per hour (160 miles per hour) at the time of this image, according to Weather Underground’s Hurricane Archive. As the storm came ashore, it eased off these Category 5-strength winds, but it still struck the mountainous islands with Category 4 winds hours after this satellite image was taken. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS’ full spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional resolutions.
context_page_description: Typhoon Cimaron, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Paeng, was the most intense tropical cyclone to strike the Philippine island of Luzon since Typhoon Zeb in 1998. Originating from a tropical depression on October 25, Cimaron developed within an environment strongly favoring tropical cyclogenesis east of the Philippines. On October 28, the system underwent rapid intensification, culminating in attaining its peak strength with winds of 185 km/h. Estimates from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center ranked the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon with one-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h, though this is argued to have underrepresented the typhoon's strength. The system moved ashore near Casiguran, Aurora in northern Luzon at peak strength. Crossing the island, Cimaron emerged over the South China Sea where conditions allowed for temporary reorganization. After becoming nearly stationary on November 1, the typhoon executed a tight anti-cyclonic loop and rapidly weakened. The storm degenerated into a tropical depression on November 4, before dissipating three days later off the coast of Vietnam.
context_section_description: Typhoon Cimaron, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Paeng, was the most intense tropical cyclone to strike the Philippine island of Luzon since Typhoon Zeb in 1998. Originating from a tropical depression on October 25, Cimaron developed within an environment strongly favoring tropical cyclogenesis east of the Philippines. On October 28, the system underwent rapid intensification, culminating in attaining its peak strength with winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Estimates from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center ranked the system as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon with one-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph), though this is argued to have underrepresented the typhoon's strength. The system moved ashore near Casiguran, Aurora in northern Luzon at peak strength. Crossing the island, Cimaron emerged over the South China Sea where conditions allowed for temporary reorganization. After becoming nearly stationary on November 1, the typhoon executed a tight anti-cyclonic loop and rapidly weakened. The storm degenerated into a tropical depression on November 4, before dissipating three days later off the coast of Vietnam.
  Prior to impacting the Philippines, Public Storm Warning Signals #3 and #4, the two highest levels, were raised for several provinces in Luzon. Thousands of residents were urged to evacuate while local authorities prepared services for quick recovery efforts. With Cimaron initially expected to strike Vietnam, officials planned to evacuate 218,000 people; however, Cimaron's slow motion and demise over open waters resulted in these plans being suspended. Officials in Thailand and southern China also advised residents of possible effects from the storm.
  In contrast to the typhoon's extreme intensity, damage was somewhat limited in the Philippines due to the lower population density of the affected areas. Widespread flooding and landslides caused substantial disruptions to travel and isolated some communities. Thirty-four people were killed in various incidents, mostly from flooding. Nearly 365,000 people were affected by the storm and losses amounted to 1.21 billion PHP (US$31 million). Winds along the periphery of Cimaron fanned a large wildfire near Hong Kong, and moisture from it fueled record-breaking rains in British Columbia, Canada. Relief efforts in the Philippines began soon after the storm's passage; however, two other storms struck the country in November, with one resulting in far greater damage. Following a request for international assistance in early December, more than US$10 million was provided in relief aid to the Philippines.
caption: Typhoon Cimaron near peak intensity off the Luzon coast, on October 29
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