page_title: Typhoon Megi (2010)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Typhoon Megi (2010) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: English: Track map of Typhoon Megi of the 2010 Pacific typhoon season. The points show the location of the storm at 6-hour intervals. The colour represents the storm's maximum sustained wind speeds as classified in the Saffir–Simpson scale (see below), and the shape of the data points represent the nature of the storm, according to the legend below. Saffir–Simpson scale Tropical depression≤38 mph≤62 km/h Category 3111–129 mph178–208 km/h Tropical storm39–73 mph63–118 km/h Category 4130–156 mph209–251 km/h Category 174–95 mph119–153 km/h Category 5≥157 mph≥252 km/h Category 296–110 mph154–177 km/h Unknown Storm type Tropical cyclone Subtropical cyclone Extratropical cyclone / Remnant low / Tropical disturbance / Monsoon depression
context_page_description: Typhoon Megi, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Juan, was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record. Megi, which means catfish in Korean, was the only super typhoon in 2010. Early on October 18, Megi made its first landfall over Luzon. By passing Luzon, Megi weakened but gradually regained strength in the South China Sea, before weakening and losing its eye in the Taiwan Strait. Megi made its second landfall over Zhangpu in Fujian, China on October 23.
  Megi killed 31 people and caused $255.1 million in damage over Luzon, making it one of the costliest typhoons in the Philippines. After moving to the South China Sea, the outflow of Megi and a weather front together brought torrential rainfall, caused $42.2 million in damage and killed 38 people in Yilan, Taiwan, making Megi the deadliest typhoon of 2010s in Taiwan. Megi also caused $411.7 million in damage over Fujian, China, although there were no deaths by the storm in the province.
context_section_description: Late on October 10, a tropical disturbance formed east-southeast of Guam. There were favorable environmental conditions, such as low vertical wind shear, good upper-level divergence and poleward outflow. The system began to significantly develop on October 12, prompting the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issuing a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert at 09:00 UTC. Several hours later, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began monitoring the system as a tropical depression. Early on October 13, JTWC also classified the system as a tropical depression and designated it 15W.
  Hours later, well-defined convective banding features developed around the system and thunderstorm activity over the center of circulation increased. Sea surface temperature above 28 °C (82 °F) and high oceanic heat content allowed for further strengthening. Situated to the southwest of a subtropical ridge, the system slowly tracked west-northwest towards the Philippines. Around 12:00 UTC, the system further intensified into a tropical storm, earning the name Megi from JMA.
  Late on October 13, Tropical Storm Megi became quasi-stationary, but a mid-latitude trough moving from the west caused the storm to resume a northwestward track around the periphery of the subtropical ridge. Throughout the morning of October 14, a central dense overcast developed over the center of Megi, allowing for intensification. Later that day, a microwave scanned the developing eye of Megi, resulting in JMA upgrading the system to a severe tropical storm and JTWC upgrading it to a typhoon. On October 15, JMA upgraded Megi to a typhoon, and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) began to mention the typhoon and named it Juan as it entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, with improved outflow over the western semi-circle and a well-defined low-level circulation center with tightly-curved banding. On October 16, Megi began rapid deepening with a well-defined eye due to enhanced poleward outflow by a transitory mid-latitude trough.
  Early on October 17, Megi started to moved westward and then west-southwestward because of the subtropical ridge. By the warm waters, impressive convection and a circular 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) diameter eye, JTWC upgraded Megi to a super typhoon with category 5 strength on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, becoming the only super typhoon in 2010 and the first since Nida in 2009. A hurricane hunter aircraft indicated 1-minute maximum sustained surface winds at 165 knots (306 km/h; 190 mph) and a mean sea level pressure of 890 hPa (26.28 inHg) at 13:05 UTC. However, in postanalysis, the JTWC lowered the maximum intensity slightly, to 160 knots (296 km/h; 184 mph). Late on October 17, Megi developed a well-defined 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) diameter eye with a concentric eyewall and excellent radial outflow. According to RSMC Best Track Data, Megi attained the highest 10-minute maximum sustained winds at 125 knots (230 km/h, 145 mph) since Bess in 1982 and the lowest atmospheric pressure at 885 hPa (26.13 inHg) since Vanessa in 1984 in the Northwest Pacific Ocean at 18:00 UTC and 00:00 UTC on the next day.
  Maintaining peak intensity, Typhoon Megi made landfall over Isabela, Philippines at 03:25 UTC (11:25 PST) on October 18. When passing the Sierra Madre, the eye filled due to land interaction, but tightly curved banding and excellent radial outflow remained. The weakened typhoon arrived at the South China Sea late on October 18, and it began to reorganize. On October 19, Megi formed an enlarged but ragged eye. Late on the same day, Megi turned northwestward and moved slowly due to the significantly weakening western subtropical ridge in response to a deepening mid-latitude shortwave trough moving into Southeast China.
  Typhoon Megi turned northward then north-northeastward towards a break in the subtropical ridge caused by an approaching mid-latitude trough on October 20. By low vertical wind shear and good radial outflow especially on the poleward channel, the typhoon start
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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