Typhoon Lekima (2019)

This storm is about the storm in 2019. For other storms of the same name, see Typhoon Lekima.

Typhoon Lekima, known in the Philippines as the Typhoon Hanna, was the third-costliest typhoon in Chinese history, behind Fitow in 2013. The ninth named storm of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season, Lekima came from a tropical depression that formed east of the Philippines on July 30. It slowly formed, became a tropical storm and was named on August 4. Lekima became stronger under favourable environmental conditions and peaked as a Category 4–equivalent super typhoon. However, an eyewall replacement cycle caused the typhoon to weaken before it made landfall in Zhejiang late on August 9, as a Category 2–equivalent typhoon. Lekima was weakened later while moving across the East China, and made its second landfall in Shandong on August 11.

Lekima's precursor made the southwestern monsoon stronger in the Philippines, which brought heavy rain to the country. The rains caused three boats to sink and 31 people died in this accident. Lekima brought large damage in mainland China, with a death toll of 89 people and more than CN¥53.7 billion (US$7.6 billion) in damages. The system also caused small damage in Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan.

Meteorological history

On August 2, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began to watch a tropical depression which grew over the Philippine Sea. The system slowly grew while moving northward. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) also watched the system and gave the identifier 10W early on August 4. The JMA turned the system to a tropical storm and assigned the name Lekima at 6:00 a.m. UTC that day. The JTWC followed suit later that day. Though Lekima was affected by normal wind shear, warm waters of  and good outflow channel allowed Lekima to slowly intensify, and Lekima became almost unmoving because of the absence of steering current.

On August 6, Lekima steered by a subtropical ridge to the northeast and accelerated to the northwest, and the JMA upgraded Lekima to a strong tropical storm. Later that day, both JMA and JTWC upgraded Lekima to a typhoon, after the system developed a central dense overcast. As Lekima continued to move northwestward, the system moved into an area of low wind shear, and it started a process of rapid intensification on August 7. The eye became evident on satellite imagery. On August 8, the JTWC upgraded Lekima to a super typhoon, and stated that the system had gotten some of the annular characteristics. Later that day, the JMA said that Lekima attained maximum sustained winds of . At the same time, Lekima passed between Miyako-jima and Tarama-jima.

Shortly thereafter, Lekima began an eyewall replacement cycle. The typhoon had gotten a concentric eyewall, as seen from the radar. This cycle also caused the motion of Lekima slightly moved to the north, and the JTWC downgraded Lekima back to typhoon late on August 8. Environmental conditions in East China Sea became less favourable, causing Lekima to slowly weaken while approaching East China. At 1:45 a.m. China Standard Time (UTC+08:00) August 10, Lekima made landfall in Wenling, Zhejiang with two-minute sustained winds of . Lekima quickly weakened and turned to the north, along the western side of the subtropical ridge. Lekima dropped below typhoon intensity early on August 10, and weakened even more to a tropical storm later that day. Lekima emerged into the Yellow Sea early on August 11, and made second landfall in Xihai'an, Qingdao, Shandong at 8:50 p.m. CST, with two-minute sustained winds of . The JTWC made its final warning to the system around that time. Lekima turned over the Shandong Peninsula and Bohai Sea throughout August 12, and the JMA downgraded it to a tropical depression later that day.

Preparations and impact

Philippines
As Lekima moved northwestward and approached the northern part of the Philippines, PAGASA issued PSWS#1 to Batanes and the Babuyan Islands late on August 6. These warnings were lifted after Lekima left the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Though Lekima, locally known as "Hanna", did not directly affect the Philippines, it made the southwest monsoon stronger which caused heavy rain to the nation. Three boats sank in Guimaras Strait; 31 people died and three were left missing. Heavy rains also caused flooding in Metro Manila. Classes of numerous cities were suspended on August 5.  A motorboat carrying 10 passengers capsized off the coast of Mactan Island in the early morning of August 7. To the south, waves from Lekima displaced more than 1,300 people in Davao City. Agricultural damage in Central Luzon was at ₱80.5 million (US$1.55 million).

Ryukyu Islands
As Lekima approached the southwestern Ryukyu Islands, Ishigaki-jima and Miyako-jima got a storm warning. The JMA told the residents on these islands to beware of high waves, heavy rain, and sudden gusts. Gusts in Miyako-jima reached , while gusts in Shimojishima Airport and Iriomote-jima reached  and  respectively. Six people were injured during the storm, and thousands of families suffered from power outages. Hundreds of flights and passenger ship trips were cancelled on August 7–9, mainly in Miyako-jima and Ishigaki-jima, affecting thousands of passengers. Agricultural damage across the island chain was JP¥347 million (US$3.29 million).

Taiwan
Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau (CWB) issued a sea warning on August 7. As Lekima continued to approach the island, the CWB told to the northern part of Taiwan a land warning early on the next day, locally. The CWB lifted the land warning late on August 9, and lifted the sea warning early on the next day, after Lekima made landfall in East China. On late August 8, school and work were cancelled for the next day in eight municipalities and counties in the northern part of Taiwan and in the Matsu Islands. Hundreds of flights and ships were cancelled and delayed.

Throughout Taiwan, Lekima killed two people and injured 15 others. More than 80,000 families suffered power outages. On August 8–9, Wufeng Township recorded a rainfall total of , while rainfall in Taichung amounted to . Lekima's downdraft affected Kinmen on August 9, where a farmland recorded temperature of , setting the national record for the second highest temperature. Jinfeng Township also recorded a temperature of . Institutional damage of Lekima, along with a magnitude 6.0 earthquake reached NT$5.24 million (US$167,000).

Mainland China

Striking East China as a super typhoon, according to China Meteorological Administration, Lekima brought strong damage across many provinces. In all, the typhoon killed 56 people and left 14 others missing. Damage nationwide reached CN¥53.72 billion (US$7.6 billion). Zhejiang was the worst hit province. 39 people died in the province, and economic loss reached CN¥24.22 billion (US$3.43 billion). Most of those killed died because of landslides in Yongjia County, and the landslides blocked a river. Water levels rose  in ten minutes, and many residents could not leave the area in time. Wenling saw peak wind gusts of , while daily rainfall in Beilun District amounted to .

Lekima also brought significant effects in Shandong, where 5 people were killed and the damage statewide amounted to CN¥1.475 billion (US$209 million). Because Lekima looped around Shandong for days, it brought heavy rainfall in the province. Daily rainfall in Linqu County reached .

Malaysia
The tail front of Lekima stretched south to Malaysia and struck the northern states of the Malay Peninsula on August 9, causing widespread damage and injuring 10 people in the states of Kedah, Penang and Perlis. The storm also caused damage to 329 schools, according to the Malaysian Ministry of Education. Wind speeds in some areas were seen at .

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad asked residents affected by the Lekima storm to be patient. He said the government is working hard to provide help to them.

References

 Other websites 

General Information of Typhoon Lekima (1909) from Digital Typhoon

Category:2019 Pacific typhoon season
Category:Retired tropical cyclone names