TYPHOON SONGDAAfter developing near Bikini Atoll on the evening of August 27th, Tropical Depression 22W moved steadily west-northwest, becoming Tropical Storm Songda the next morning. Songda continued west-northwest, and was upgraded to a typhoon the afternoon of the 29th, about 850 miles east of the Mariana Islands. Over the next two days, Songda intensified steadily as it moved west-northwest, passing 190 miles northeast of Saipan at 2200 SST on the 31st with maximum sustained winds near the center of 145 mph. It maintained that intensity as it passed just 20 miles northeast of Agrihan at 1200 SST on September 1st. Saipan, Tinian and Rota escaped with some tropical-storm-force gusts, but the far northern islands of Alamagan, Pagan and Agrihan experienced destructive typhoon conditions.Rota:  The highest reported sustained wind on Rota was from the west at 35 mph at the airport at 1153 SST on the 1st, while the highest gusts, 49 mph from the west-southwest, were reported at the automated station at 1251 and 1351 SST. The lowest sea-level pressure was 1003.4 mb at 1552 SST on the 31st. No significant rainfall occurred. Tinian:  The highest reported sustained wind was only 25 mph from the west at 0550 SST on Sep 1st, and the peak gust was 40 mph from the west-southwest at 0620 SST. The lowest reported sea-level pressure was 1001.4 mb at 1552 SST on the 31st. Rainfall amounts are unavailable.  Saipan:  At Saipan International Airport, the maximum sustained wind was 31 mph from the west at 0011 SST on the 1st. The peak gust, 38 mph from the west, occurred an hour and a half earlier at 2241 SST on the 31st. In the 24 hours ending at 0654 SST on the 1st, 2.50 inches of rain fell. The lowest sea-level pressure was 1001.5 mb at 0654 SST on the 1st. Pagan Island:  Typhoon Songda passed 45 miles northeast of Pagan at around 0900 SST on September 1st. The automated station on Pagan recorded a maximum sustained wind of 53 mph from the west at 1100 SST, and a peak gust of 108 mph from the west-northwest an hour earlier at 1000 SST. The sustained wind appears underrepresented, given the peak gusts, and was likely near 80 mph. The lowest sea-level pressure of 971.1 mb occurred at 0900 SST. In the 24 hours ending at 1800 SST on the 1st, Pagan recorded 3.84 inches of rain. Agrihan:  No wind measurements are available, but island residents estimated the sustained winds at 70 to 85 mph. However, given the measurements at Pagan and the fact that Songda passed only 20 miles from Agrihan, it is likely that sustained winds of over 100 mph occurred around 1200 SST on the 1st. Alamagan:  No wind measurements are available, but island residents estimated the sustained winds at 80 to 100 mph. Given that Songda passed 60 miles northeast of Alamagan at 0600 SST on the 1st, winds were probably somewhat lower at 75 mph. STORM EFFECTS AND DAMAGERota/Tinian/Saipan:  No injuries or significant damage were reported.Alamagan/Pagan/Agrihan: No deaths or injuries were reported on any of the islands. All homes and crops on the islands were a total loss. Coconut and breadfruit trees were stripped of leaves and fruit. Total damage is estimated at $500,000.

Hurricane (Typhoon) in NORTHERN MARIANAS, GUAM
From 01-SEP-04 00:00:00 to 02-SEP-04 01:00:00 (SST)
Property damage: 250K
Crop damage: 250K
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY