2001 Pacific typhoon season
The 2001 Pacific typhoon season was the fourth and final consecutive year with below-average activity, making it the lowest four-year period of activity since 1976–1979, due to the presence of a strong La Niña that had persisted from 1998–2001. The season produced twenty-five named storms, sixteen typhoons and three super typhoons. It ran year-round in 2001, with most tropical cyclones in the northwestern Pacific Ocean tending between May and November. However the first named storm, Cimaron, did not develop until May 9. Taiwan suffered the most destruction from typhoons this year, with  Typhoons Toraji, Nari, and Lekima being responsible for nearly 300 deaths in that island alone, making it one of the most deadliest typhoon seasons in recorded history in that island. In November, Typhoon Lingling impacted the Philippines, killing 171 people, making it one of the deadliest Philippine storms this century. The season ended with the formation of Tropical Storm Vamei during the last week of December. Vamei was notable for becoming the lowest latitude typhoon, at 1.5°N, ever to be observed in the Northwest Pacific. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of  the equator and west of the International Date Line. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 2001 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin are assigned a name by the Tokyo Typhoon Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names. Seasonal  forecasts. During the year, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued advisories on tropical cyclones west of the International Date Line to the Malay Peninsula, and north of the equator, in its role as the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center, as designated by the World Meteorological Organization in 1989. The JMA issued forecasts and analyses every six hours starting at midnight UTC using numerical weather prediction (NWP) and a climatological tropical cyclone forecast model. They used the Dvorak technique and NWP to estimate 10-minute sustained winds and barometric pressure. The JTWC also issued warnings on storms within the basin, operating  from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and supplying forecasts to the United States Armed Forces in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. On January 31, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) issued their extended range forecast for the Northwest Pacific in 2001, predicting near-average activity in terms of tropical storms, but a slightly below average in terms of typhoons. They predict that around 28 tropical storms would form, in which 17 of them would become typhoons, and 8 would further intensify to intense typhoons. TSR uses anomalous patterns of sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) over in the Niño 3.4 region (5°N-5° S, 120°W-170°W) during the August–September SST forecast as a predictor. With a predicted anomaly of -0.27 °C, a weak La Niña is expected — which tends to suppress tropical cyclone activity or intensity. On June 15, TSR issued their pre-season forecast, predicting a neutral typhoon season. Predicted tropical storm numbers have decreased to 26, but both their predicted typhoon and intense typhoon numbers have increased to 18 and 9, respectively. The key factor to this prediction is now due to the anticipated neutral value for the August–September SST forecast in the Niño 4  region (5°S – 5°N, 150°W – 160°E) of +0.27 °C. Seasonal summary. The season ran with weak La Niña conditions during the first quarter of the year and near-normal conditions throughout the rest of the year, with average sea-surface temperatures in the Niño 3.4 region of around -0.3 °C. It was the final year of a rather strong La Niña episode that persisted throughout most of the Pacific Ocean since 1998. This was demonstrated with this season's tropical activity being more active than the previous three seasons, but overall  tropical activity still remaining below average. 2001 opened with Tropical Storm Soulik, from the previous season, active in the Philippine Sea. Soulik strengthened into the first typhoon seen this year and reached its peak intensity as a Category 3-equivalent typhoon on January 3, before quickly dissipating the next day. The formation of Tropical Depression 01W (Auring), however, officially initiated the start of the annual typhoon season on February 17. No tropical cyclones developed until after two months later, when another tropical depression had developed to the southeast of the Philippines. Tropical cyclogenesis gradually increased when May arrived – with three  tropical systems developing. Two of these systems were only recognised as minor tropical depressions, while the other strengthened to the first official named storm of this year, Cimaron, which moved through the Philippine archipelago in the middle of the month. Systems. Tropical Depression 01W (Auring). On 18:00 UTC of February 17, both the JMA and PAGASA began to track a tropical depression that was located about 324 km (201 mi) to the northeast of Surigao of Northern Mindanao. The PAGASA named the system, "Auring". The JTWC followed suit and designated it "01W", six hours later. Auring moved westward and began  traversing the Philippine archipelago of Visayas. By February 19, the PAGASA issued its final warning on Auring. The JTWC also issued its final advisory on the system on February 20. The JMA downgraded the system to a low-pressure area, and its remnants tracked northward, where it was last noted off the coast of the Ilocos Region on February 23. Tropical Depression 01W (Auring) brought rainfall throughout most of Visayas and Mindanao. At least 18 people died, with most of these deaths due to landslides that occurred from the torrential rain. In Leyte and most of Mindanao, flooding submerged the  homes of 159,785 people. Damages from crops and property have been estimated at ₱200 million (US$4.16 million). Tropical Depression 02W (Barok). The PAGASA began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression Barok on 06:00 UTC of April 16, located to the wast of Palau. Six hours later, the JTWC followed suit on initiating advisories, where they designated it as "02W". Barok moved in a northwestward direction well to the east of the Philippines without any intensification. By April 19, both agencies stopped warning on the system when the depression quickly deteriorated. Even though warnings were discontinued, its remnants continued to  show signs of life with several bursts of convection. This prompted the JTWC to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on April 21, however its convection significantly weakened. Severe Tropical Storm Cimaron (Crising). Tropical Storm Cimaron developed on May 9 and moved northward through the Philippines, dissipating on May 14. Typhoon Chebi (Emong). Tropical Depression 04W formed on June 19 near Palau where it moved westward and strengthened into Tropical Storm Chebi six hours later. Chebi then moved generally west-northwest and then to the northwest as the tropical storm passed north of the Philippines on June 21 and  entered the Luzon Strait on June 23 as a Category 1 typhoon. Later on the 23rd Chebi reached a peak intensity of 85 knots (160 km/h, 100 mph) as the center of the storm was south of Taiwan. A trough forced Chebi west and northwest where it made landfall near Fuzhou City, China. Chebi then weakened and accelerated to the north then northeast, passing southeast of Shanghai before exiting back out to sea. The JMA and other weather centers stopped issuing advisories when the remnants of Chebi dissipated in the eastern Pacific on June 30. Chebi killed 82 people , mostly in China, and left $422 million (2001 USD), $457 million (2005 USD). Chebi's heavy rains and strong winds left nine people dead, 28 missing and $13 million (2001 USD) in damage in the Philippines. Four of the nine were from a Belizean freighter that sank during the storm. The Penghu Islands, which took the brunt of the typhoon, suffered considerable damage as 102 fishing boats sank and ten thousand people were left without power. The storm also crippled ground and air traffic. A rain laden typhoon, Chebi produced 100 millimeters of rain across Guangdong. About  73 people were killed in China, most of them in the southeastern province of Fujian. The storm also destroyed several thousand acres of crops, resulting in economic losses. In Ningde, about 321,400 houses were destroyed by the typhoon. About 22 people were killed in Hangzhou when a landslide burst through a construction wall. Severe Tropical Storm Durian. 78 casualties and $446 million (2001 USD) in damage can be attributed to Typhoon Durian hitting southern China on July 1 as an typhoon. The name Durian was submitted by Thailand and refers to the Southeast Asian fruit of the same name . Severe Tropical Storm Utor (Feria). Severe Tropical Storm Utor, which developed on June 30 east of the Philippines, brushed northern Luzon on the 4th as a typhoon. It continued west-northwestward to hit southeastern China on the 6th. Utor, while not a very strong storm, brought heavy rain amounting to $297.2 million (2001 USD) in damage, as well as causing 197 fatalities. Tropical Storm Trami (Gorio). The JMA began tracking on a tropical depression had developed east of the Philippines on July 8. Moving northwestward, the system gradually intensified, and the PAGASA began initiating advisories on 18:00 UTC of  the same day, naming the system, "Gorio". Six hours later, the JTWC already deemed the system as Tropical Depression 07W. Deep convection persisted to the west of its well-defined, but a partially exposed center. Thus, the system gained strength into a tropical storm, with the JMA naming it as "Trami". Northeasterly shear prevented the storm to significantly intensify, and therefore Trami maintained tropical storm intensity for a day ― only peaking with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 75 km/h (45 mph). By 12:00 UTC of July 11, Trami moved over Taiwan and into the Taiwan Strait, where Trami  rapidly weakened and dissipated. Trami mostly affected Taiwan with just rainfall. However Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties experienced the heaviest rainfall in 40 years. In Kaohsiung City, streets were clogged with bonded cars due to severe flooding, and more than 100,000 homes were left without power. The floods resulted in only five deaths in the southern part of the city. Tropical Depression 08W. The JTWC began tracking Tropical Depression 08W about 972 km (604 mi) southwest of Midway Atoll on July 10. 08W was known as a "hybrid system", where it developed in an area of strong wind shear and the  system was already becoming extratropical. The JTWC issued its second and final warning early the next day. The storm's remnants moved outside the basin early on July 12. On July 16, the JMA began to monitor a tropical depression about 833 km (518 mi) east-northeast of Iwo Jima. The depression moved in a slow, erratic direction, and began moving east-northeastward. By July 18, the system was approaching a shortwave trough, causing it to weaken and dissipate the next day. Typhoon Kong-rey. Tropical Depression 09W developed from an area of convection about 1,000 km (621 mi) to  the east of Iwo Jima on July 21. Continued consolidation of its convection prompted both the JTWC to classify it as a tropical storm on 18:00 UTC. The JMA followed suit six hours later and named it "Kong-rey". By July 23, the JTWC upgraded Kong-rey to a typhoon while the JMA upgraded it to a severe tropical storm. A mid-latitude ridge to the east of Japan strengthened, causing Kong-rey to curve and move in a northeastward direction. Kong-rey reached its peak intensity on July 25, then slightly weakened afterwards. At the same time, the JMA  had finally upgraded Kong-rey to a typhoon. On July 26, a redevelopment of a small eye caused Kong-rey to reach its second peak intensity for a short period of time. Its peak strength only maxed out to 10-minute sustained winds of 130 km/h (80 mph). Increasing wind shear caused the typhoon to weaken the next day. Kong-rey was downgraded to a tropical storm on 00:00 UTC of July 28. Both agencies issued their final warning later that day when it had become extratropical. Its remnants was still tracked until it reached the southwestern Aleutian Islands  on August 3. Severe Tropical Storm Yutu (Huaning). A tropical depression had developed to the east of the northern tip of Cagayan, Philippines on July 22. On the next day, the PAGASA began initiating advisories on the system also, and had named it "Huaning". The system strengthened into a tropical storm in the same day and was named "Yutu" by the JMA. Yutu moved in a general westward direction and passed the extreme northern Philippine islands. Satellite imagery depicted that a tightly-wrapped convective banding was circulating around a developing eye, signalling that Yutu was undergoing a phase of rapid  deepening. Thus, the JTWC quickly upgraded Yutu to a 70-knot typhoon. The JMA, however, only classified it as a severe tropical storm. On 12:00 UTC of July 25, Yutu reached its peak intensity as a Category 2 typhoon. The system slowly weakened afterwards, and seven hours later, Yutu made landfall over the Dianbai District. Yutu significantly weakened and fully dissipated on July 26. Upon its landfall, Yutu brought gusty winds and rainfall throughout the Guandong province and nearby areas. Xuwen County recorded 260 mm (10.2 in) of rainfall for a 24-hour period from July 25–26. The city of  Cheung Chau had experienced wind gusts of up to 63 knots (117 km/h; 73 mph). About 4,650 houses were destroyed in the province. Estimated damages were up to ¥700 million (US$109 million). No fatalities were reported, however ten people were injured by Yutu in Hong Kong. Typhoon Toraji (Isang). On July 29, Typhoon Toraji hit eastern Taiwan and continued westward to make landfall on southeast China on the July 30. Torrential rainfall produced by the storm triggered flash flooding and landslides across Taiwan, killing 200 people and leaving NT$7.7 billion (US$245 million) in damage. At least  30 people were killed in a village located in Nantou County which was completely buried by mud and rocks. In the wake of the storm, Taiwan's Premier, Chang Chun-hsiung criticized the excessive development of Taiwan and lack of heedance of possible negative effects for the significant loss of life from Toraji. He also initiated a reforestation project to avoid future disasters of a similar scale. Typhoon Man-yi. On July 31, the JTWC started to monitor on a tropical disturbance that had developed about 278 km (173 mi) to the north of Pohnpei. The system developed into a  tropical depression the next day, with the JTWC designating it as "12W". A central dense overcast built up over cloud tops as cold as -83 °C (-117 °F) from infrared satellite imagery. 12W further strengthened to a tropical storm by August 2, with the JMA receiving the name "Man-yi". The system gradually intensified as it moved northwest, with the JTWC considering Man-yi a minimal typhoon on the next day. The JMA, however, followed suit on August 4. At this time, deep convection was found to be developing near its eyewall and its cyclonic structure was becoming  much more symmetrical. The JTWC quickly upgraded Man-yi to a high-end Category 3 typhoon. By 12:00 UTC, Man-yi reached its first initial peak strength as a Category 4-equivalent typhoon. Throughout the next day, Man-yi began to move in a northeastward direction as it dropped in intensity due to a phase of an eyewall replacement cycle. By August 6, Man-yi restrengthened and reached its second peak intensity. Thereafter, Man-yi began to weaken as its eye began to expand ― and had an annular structure. On August 8, cold dry air began to wrap into the  storm as it was undergoing extratropical transition. The JTWC issued their final advisory later that day, but the JMA still tracked the system until 12:00 UTC of August 9. Tropical Storm Usagi. A weak tropical depression had persisted in the South China Sea, just west off Luzon on August 8. On the next day, operationally, the JTWC began on issuing advisories on the system as Tropical Depression 13W. However post-analysis showed that the system had already intensified into a tropical depression several hours earlier. Despite with an exposed center, a weak banding feature began to develop around it. Organization  of the 13W improved slightly, and by August 10, the system had intensified into a tropical storm, with the JMA naming it "Usagi". Usagi reached its maximum intensity only with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph). By 18:00 UTC, Usagi moved inland Vietnam, just to the south of Hanoi, and therefore the JTWC issued its final advisory on the system. The storm continued moving westward over land until it was last noticed by the JMA on August 11. The storm brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding mostly in Vietnam and Thailand. Usagi had worsened flooding  in Vietnam in the month of August, with some provinces such as An Giang and Đồng Tháp being raised to flood Alarm 3 – which is emergency flood condition, due to widespread flooding that is uncontrollable. Effects from the storm were much more worse in Thailand. 200,000 hectares of farmland were submerged and thousands of homes were destroyed, leaving an estimated 450,000 people homeless. Deforestation in the mountainous areas of Phetchabun province brought in massive mudslides, especially in the Lom Sak District where its effects were much worse. At least 176 people have perished from the storm in Thailand, with most  of these fatalities recorded in that district alone. Typhoon Pabuk. On August 13, the JMA started to track a tropical depression that was embedded to the monsoon to the north-northwest of Saipan. Due to its rapid development, the JTWC issued a TCFA. The JTWC began issuing advisories thereafter, giving the designation of "14W". All agencies upgraded 14W to a tropical storm the next day, after satellite imagery depicted a well defined LLCC along gale-force winds to the south of it. The JMA gave the name "Pabuk". Moving northwestward, Pabuk gradually intensified, and the JTWC upgraded the system to  a typhoon on August 15; the JMA did the same 24 hours later. By August 17, Pabuk briefly reached its initial peak strength as a low-end Category 2 typhoon before slowly weakening. During the next day, Pabul began to re-intensify as a banding eye feature began to develop. Satellite animated imagery showed an eyewall forming with deep convection. By 06:00 UTC of August 19, Pabuk reached its second peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph). The typhoon grew in size, and its eye became irregular, hinting on a weakening trend while moving  north-northeastward. Pabuk weakened to tropical storm intensity when it hit the southern coast of Japan, south of Osaka, on 12:00 UTC of August 21. On August 22, both the JMA and the JTWC issued its final advisory after it became extratropical. Pabuk brought heavy rainfall in the southern part of Honshu, which flooded many homes and disrupting sea and air travel. As the typhoon was approaching, the JMA warned on heavy winds and strong gusts along the southwestern and western coastline of Japan. Heavy rainfall was forecast throughout most of the nation to as far south as Okinawa, with  the Kii Peninsula being forecast to have rainfall of about 300 mm (11.8 in). Around 70 homes were flooded in the island of Amami Ōshima alone. Moreover, the launch of the next-generation rocket H-IIA was also halted due to stormy conditions. Throughout Japan, the storm resulted in eight fatalities and 141 injured people. 917 hectares of fields were damaged. Total damages from the typhoon amounted to ¥630 million (US$5.55 million). Tropical Depression 15W. On 12:00 UTC of August 24, the JMA started to track a weak tropical depression that had developed about 648 km (403 mi ) to the northwest of Wake Island. Six hours later, the JTWC followed suit and began issuing advisories, giving the designation of "15W". The system slowly intensified within the next day. Despite bring predicted that the system would intensify into a tropical storm, the JTWC indicated that the system was beginning to merge with a frontal boundary. Afterwards, 15W re-curved and began moving northwestward until it neared Hokkaido on 00:00 UTC of August 28, when the system was absorbed by a stationary front. Typhoon Wutip. A tropical disturbance that was embedded in a broad monsoonal circulation developed in the Philippine  Sea on August 25. The JMA classified the system as a tropical depression on the next day. Early on August 27, the JTWC followed suit and began initiating advisories on Tropical Depression 16W, after improved organisation and increased convection. 16W quickly strengthened into a tropical storm thereafter, with the JMA naming it "Wutip". By August 28, an eye feature began to develop, forcing both agencies to quickly upgrade Wutip to a typhoon. Rapid deepening ensued for the rest of the day, and Wutip had already reached Category 4 typhoon intensity on 18:00 UTC of the same day. Wutip still strengthened  until it reached super typhoon intensity on 06:00 UTC of August 29 – the first of this season – with 1-minute sustained winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) and a minimum pressure of 930 hPa. By August 30, Wutip began to weaken after its cloud tops began to warm and a reduction of convection. Wutip rapidly weakened down to tropical storm intensity by September 1, when it was already interacting with drier air, making its LLCC become exposed. Both the JMA and the JTWC issued their final advisory on 18:00 UTC of September 2, when it had weakened into an  extratropical gale. Tropical Storm Sepat. Sepat originated from an extensive monsoon trough that spawned multiple vortices on August 19, to the south of Pohnpei. After moving east-northeastward in a few days, the JTWC issued a TCFA after its circulation improved in organisation on August 26. The JMA classified the system as a tropical depression around the same time. By August 27, the JTWC began initiating advisories, designating the system as Tropical Depression 17W. Now moving in a rather north-northwestward direction, 17W gained strength. Both the JMA and the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical storm on 18:00  UTC. The JTWC had upped the system's intensity to 45 knots, hinting the Sepat had already reached its peak intensity. The JMA noted Sepat's peak intensity early on the next day. Overall convection around the storm's center had significantly decreased thereafter. On August 29, a satellite passing revealed that most of its convection had already scattered, prompting the JTWC to lower Sepat's intensity to minimal tropical storm strength. At this point, Sepat had moved far north over cooler waters. The JTWC issued its final advisory on 00:00 UTC of August 30 when they noted that it  had become extratropical. The JMA followed suit twelve hours later. Tropical Storm Fitow. Initially an area of thunderstorms formed west of Luzon late on August 26, possibly due to the remains of former Tropical Depression Jolina. Late on August 28 it formed into a tropical depression about south-southwest of Hong Kong. It moved west-northwest over northeastern Hainan late on August 29, before becoming a tropical storm 24 hours later. Early on August 31, the tropical storm began to drift north towards China. That evening, it struck Dongxing before weakening back into a tropical depression on September 1 and  dissipating the following day. Excessive rains fell in mainland China, with locations in Changjiang county measuring up to 831.1 mm in the 3 day period ending late on August 31. Total economic losses in Hainan were near 1.367 billion yuan (US$201.7 million). In all, 3680 houses were nearly destroyed, four died, and 3.5 million people were impacted by the weak tropical storm. Typhoon Danas. An area of convection had persisted roughly 833 km (518 mi) to the west of Wake Island on September 2. Due to gradual development, the JTWC issued their first warning on 00:00 UTC of September  3, classifying the system as Tropical Depression 19W. Convective organisation continued to increase throughout the day, and both the JMA and JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical storm, naming it "Danas". Moving westward, due to a subtropical ridge located to its north, Danas quickly intensified. The JTWC upgraded Danas to a minimal typhoon by 18:00 UTC of September 4, while the JMA did the same six hours later. As the typhoon began moving poleward, satellite imagery depicted on a development of a small eye with good convective banding. Hence, Danas intensified to a Category 2 typhoon. By 06:00 UTC  of September 6, Danas reached peak intensity as a Category 4 typhoon – however post-analysis after the season showed that Danas only peaked as a Category 3 typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). The typhoon maintained its intensity for the next 18 hours, until its eye became cloud-filled. Danas curved westward until a mid-latitude trough had weakened the ridge, causing the storm to move in a north-northeastward direction. The typhoon began to rapidly weaken, and by 00:35 UTC of September 11, Danas had already made landfall just to the southwest of  Yokosuka. After crossing the eastern portion of Honshu, Danas weakened to a tropical storm. Both the JMA and the JTWC issued its final advisory on Danas on September 12, when it transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. Its remnants reached the Aleutian Islands two days later. On September 10, Danas spawned a tornado near the city of Ochiai, just outside Tokyo. Along its track, the tornado damaged roofs, downed trees and injured one person. Following an assessment of the damage, the Tokyo District Meteorological Observatory ranked it as an F1 on the Fujita scale. According to reliable records, this was the  eleventh tornado to touch down in the Kantō region. The town of Nikkō had recorded 870 mm (34 in) of rainfall over a four-day period. More than 140 domestic and international flights were canceled due to extreme winds and torrential rainfall. Throughout Japan, Danas was responsible for eight fatalities and injured 48 people. Damages from the storm amounted to ¥1.11 billion (US$9.79 million). Typhoon Nari (Kiko). On September 5, a tropical depression developed northeast of Taiwan. Weak currents, which were prevalent throughout its lifetime, caused it to drift to the northeast where it became a tropical storm  on the 6th. Nari stalled near Okinawa, and became a typhoon on the 7th. Over the next 5 days, Nari executed a triple loop over open waters, reaching a peak of winds before weakening to a tropical storm on the 14th. It restrengthened to a typhoon, and as it continued southwestward, Nari reached winds before hitting northeastern Taiwan on the 16th. The storm drifted across the island, emerging into the South China Sea on the 18th as a tropical depression. It continued westward, and finally made landfall east of Hong Kong as a tropical storm on the 20th. Nari caused  92 casualties and up to of rain led to torrential flooding. Typhoon Vipa. The origins of Vipa can be tracked back from an upper-level low that had developed near Wake Island. The low began to interact with the monsoonal flow to its southwest, making it form a "monsoonal gyre" type system. On 00:00 UTC of September 17, deep convection wrapping its LLCC led to the formation of a tropical depression, with the JTWC designating it as "21W". Organisation ensued until the JTWC upgraded 21W to a tropical storm, eighteen hours later. However the JMA did not upgrade it until  September 18, when they named it as "Vipa". Satellite imagery depicted a small, cloud-filled eye, and thus, the JTWC upgraded the system to a minimal typhoon. The JMA, however, only classified Vipa as a severe tropical storm at this point. Vipa began moving northeastward when the typhoon reached its peak intensity of 1-minute sustained winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) on 06:00 UTC of September 19. Vipa began to weaken as the JTWC signalised the beginning of an extratropical transition. However, its eye had enlarged, and Vipa reached its second peak intensity. The JMA briefly classified Vipa  as a typhoon on September 20. By September 21, Vipa's eyewall began to deteriorate due to dry air. Both agencies issued their final advisory that day when Vipa had already transitioned into an extratropical cyclone. Its remnants was last noted in the Bering Sea two days later. The name Vipa was changed to the correct spelling "Wipha" in 2002. Typhoon Francisco. On 00:00 UTC of September 18, the JMA began to monitor on a tropical depression that had developed about 509 km (316 mi) south-southeast of Wake Island. The JTWC followed suit on the next day, when they  began issuing advisories on Tropical Depression 22W. 22W moved in a slow westward direction, when the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical storm. By 00:00 UTC of September 20, the JMA followed suit and named it "Francisco". Throughout the day, the convection had gradually build up, prompting the JTWC to quickly upgrade the storm to a typhoon by 12:00 UTC. Continued development caused Francisco to reach Category 2 typhoon intensity, as it began moving northward. On September 23, a ragged eye developed and was becoming clearer, and thus, the JTWC to upgrade Francisco to a Category 3 typhoon, with  1-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Francisco reached its peak intensity that day, with a minimum barometric pressure of 945 hPa. However, by September 24, Francisco's convection had weakened, signalling a phase of rapid weakening. Both agencies downgraded Francisco to a tropical storm on the next day and issued their final advisories when the storm was becoming extratropical. Francisco's extratropical remnants was last seen on September 27 when it crossed the International Dateline. Typhoon Lekima (Labuyo). Late on September 19, an area of convection associated with a monsoon trough had developed east of Luzon . By 00:00 UTC of September 22, both the JMA and the JTWC began tracking on the system, when it developed into a tropical depression, designating it as "23W". The PAGASA followed suit and gave the local name "Labuyo". Later that day, the system quickly organised into a tropical storm while raining quasi-stationary, withe the JMA naming it as "Lekima". Subsequently the storm began to move in a west-northwestward motion. With steady development, Lekima reached typhoon intensity on September 23. Satellite imagery had later depicted a small eye that was surrounded by convective bands. The JTWC upgraded Lekima to  a Category 2-equivalent typhoon on September 25, and reached its peak intensity on 00:00 UTC of September 26, with 1-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph). Lekima made landfall near the city of Dawu, nine hours later. Shortly thereafter, due to the mountainous terrains of Taiwan, Lekima's structure had rapidly deteriorated and the typhoon had weakened back into a tropical storm. On September 27, Lekima further weakened to a tropical depression as it moved further north of the island. However, the JTWC re-upgraded Lekima back to a minimal tropical storm for a twelve-hour  period on September 28, before weakening again as it moved over the western waters of the island. Lekima moved northward, then northeastward, before dissipating on September 30. The typhoon caused severe impacts in Taiwan as what Nari did a few weeks earlier. Torrential rainfall was experienced throughout many counties, and even some were recorded in the Fujian province. 5,600 people experienced lossage of power while landslides blocked highways due to the slow and erratic movement of the storm. Two fishermen drowned at sea with another person on board presumed drowned. In the Philippine archipelago of Luzon, one person drowned in  a river due to heavy rainfall. Another fatality was seen in mainland China, where a person died in the province of Zhejiang due to a landslide on September 29. Typhoon Krosa. A rapidly developing area of convection near Guam led to the formation of Tropical Depression 24W on October 3. Deep convection continued to form and the system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day, with the JMA naming it as "Krosa". Krosa moved in a quickly paced northwestward direction and entered an area of favourable environments. Later that day, the JMA upgraded Krosa to a severe tropical storm , and quickly into typhoon on October 5. The system began to undergo a period of rapid intensification, in which Krosa reached its peak intensity as a Category 3-equivalent typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph) on 12:00 UTC. Krosa began to curve northward, then northeastward thereafter, when its convective structure had slightly weakened. At this time, the JMA considered Krosa to reach its peak intensity. Within the next two days, Krosa continued to weaken as it encountered increasing wind shear from the mid-latitude westerlies. By October 9, both the JMA and the JTWC  issued their final warning on Krosa, as the storm moved into the baroclinic zone and became extratropical. Typhoon Haiyan (Maring). Tropical Depression 25W formed over the Philippine Sea on October 11. The PAGASA named it as Maring 3 hours later. Maring steadily moved northwards due to an intensifying high-pressure area moving southwestwards, as the JTWC upgraded it to a tropical storm on October 13. In the same time, Maring became Tropical Storm Haiyan. The next day, the three agencies, upgraded it to a typhoon. Typhoon Haiyan reached peak intensity as a category 2 on October 15, without furthering intensifying  to a category 3. As the high-pressure moved westwards, Haiyan rapidly weakened to a minimal typhoon and moved westwards too, affecting Taiwan. Haiyan finally dissipated on October 18. Throughout Japan and the Ryukyu Islands, two people were killed by the typhoon and another was injured. Damage from the storm amounted to 296.024 million yen (US$3.4 million). Typhoon Podul. Typhoon Podul became a super typhoon according to the JTWC, attaining strong winds but remaining away from land. Typhoon Lingling (Nanang). A tropical depression formed in the Philippine Sea on November 5. It moved westward, hitting the Philippines on the  6th. The depression strengthened over the archipelago, becoming a tropical storm on the 7th. Lingling continued to intensify, reaching a peak of winds on the 10th in the South China Sea. The next day, the typhoon hit central Vietnam as a typhoon, and dissipated on the 12th. Lingling, like most typhoons, brought torrential rains and flooding, resulting in 171 deaths in the Philippines (with 118 missing) and 18 deaths in Vietnam. Tropical Depression 28W (Ondoy). A tropical disturbance associated with the monsoon trough began to form about 315 km (196 mi) west-southwest of Pohnpei on November 14. Convection slowly  deepened and the disturbance's structure began to consolidate. By 06:00 UTC of November 17, the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical depression. Animated satellite imagery revealed that its center became elongated with continued development of convection. This prompted the JTWC to begin issuing advisories as a tropical depression six hours later, giving the designation "28W". Maintaining its intensity, 28W tracked westward and entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on November 20, with PAGASA to start issuing bulletins and naming it "Ondoy". Later that day, the JTWC upgraded Ondoy to a tropical storm, peaking with 1-minute sustained winds  of 65 km/h (40 mph). Shortly thereafter, Ondoy's center became partially exposed, with the JTWC downgrading the system back to a tropical depression. Within the next two days, Ondoy completed a loop to the east of Samar Island, and shifted its movement north-northwestward. The JTWC issued its final advisory on 18:00 UTC of November 24, however both the JMA and PAGASA still tracked the system until November 25. Tropical Depression 29W (Pabling). On November 18, the JMA began to track a tropical depression that had developed about 426 km (265 mi) northeast of Singapore. By the next  day, the system began to drift eastward, with satellite imagery depicting a convective banding feature with some deep convection. The JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical depression and issued its first advisory on 06:00 UTC of November 20, receiving the designation "29W". 29W intensified into a tropical storm by the JTWC on 00:00 UTC of November 21, when the system's vortex became well-defined. By the next day, the storm entered the western portion of the Philippine area of responsibility, with PAGASA giving the name "Pabling". On November 23, the JTWC downgraded Pabling back to a tropical depression  after the system encountered increasing wind shear. The JTWC issued its final advisory shortly thereafter, when the storm was located just off the southern tip of Palawan. Pabling slowly dissipated the next day when it emerged in the waters of the Sulu Sea. This is the first storm to move in an eastward direction at very low latitudes, since Tropical Storm Greg in 1996. Tropical Storm Kajiki (Quedan). In the first few days of December, an area of convection developed to the south of Guam. By December 4, both the JMA and the PAGASA upgraded the system into a tropical  depression, with the PAGASA naming it "Quedan". After deep convection was seen developing from multi-spectral imagery, the JTWC followed suit and began issuing advisories on 00:00 UTC of December 5 ― giving the identifier of "30W". On the same day, the system intensified into a tropical storm, with the JMA naming it as "Kajiki". Kajiki moved in a west-northwestward direction, traversing the islands of Visayas. By December 7, Kajiki emerged to the South China Sea, where unfavorable wind shear weakened the system. At this point, the storm's center started to become exposed and the storm's structure started  to deteriorate. Both the JTWC and the JMA downgraded Kajiki to a tropical depression on the next day. The JMA tracked Kajiki until it neared the eastern coast of Vietnam on December 9. In the Philippines, Kajiki (Quedan) brought only light to moderate rainfall over Visayas. Only two people were dead, while a total of 6,400 people were displaced. Even though Kajiki remained far away from China, heavy rainfall from the storm's outflow was seen in the Hainan and Guandong provinces. In Xuwen County, of rainfall was recorded in a 24-hour period from December 9 to 10. Qiongzhong  County received the highest amount of precipitation, with a recorded . In Hainan, the heavy rainfall mostly led to agricultural losses, damaging up to ¥90.57 million (US$14 million). Tropical Storm 31W. Operationally the same system as Typhoon Faxai, an area of unorganised convection in a region of weak to moderate vertical wind shear had persisted to the southwest of Pohnpei on December 10. By 12:00 UTC of the same day, the JTWC upgraded the system to Tropical Depression 31W. Satellite imagery and animations showed that there were multiple centers within the large-scale center, which made it difficult to  track. By December 12, the system finally gained convection near its center. 31W briefly reached tropical storm intensity by the JTWC on 18:00 UTC of the same day. The storm was still difficult to track, which made one warning relocating the storm's center near the island of Kosrae. However, after post-analysis, this center was a newly developed center that originated from the same surface trough of 31W. This new center eventually became Tropical Storm Faxai. Typhoon Faxai. On December 13, a tropical depression formed in the open waters of the West Pacific. It drifted for 5 days, slowly  organizing into a tropical storm on the 15th. As Faxai moved more quickly to the northwest, its wind speeds increased, becoming a typhoon on the 20th and rapidly intensifying to a peak of on the 23rd. Cooler waters and upper-level shear weakened it until it became extratropical on the 25th. Faxai, the strongest storm of the year, was one of the most intense December typhoons ever recorded. Fortunately, it never approached land. Initially Faxai was classified as part of Tropical Depression 31W, but post-analysis considers the early part of Faxai's life a separate storm. As such, Faxai  was classified as 33W in post-analysis. Two people were killed as a result of the storm and damage across several islands amounted to roughly $1 million. Faxai was the most intense tropical worldwide in 2001. Tropical Storm Vamei. Tropical Depression 32W formed 200 nautical miles (370 km) east of Singapore at 1200 UTC (2000 SGT) on December 26. It is extremely unusual to see tropical development this close to the equator. The initial position of 1.4° N means this storm formed only north of the equator. On December 27 it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Vamei, and  shortly thereafter it made landfall in Malaysia. Emerging into the Indian Ocean on December 29 as a Tropical Depression, it briefly re-strengthened before dissipating on January 1. The name "Vamei" was retired in 2004 and replaced with "Peipah", because of the unique formation and track of this storm. Other systems. On May 6, the JMA tracked a weak tropical depression off the northeastern coast of Mindanao. The system degenerated into a low-pressure area the next day. A tropical depression was briefly tracked by the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan in the middle of May. On May 14, a  tropical disturbance had developed off the coast of Vietnam. With gradual development, the JTWC issued a TCFA two days later. The system was in a marginal environment for development, however the JTWC canceled their TCFA when the system already moved onshore in the Nam Dinh province early on May 17. The Taiwan weather bureau only classified the system as a tropical depression in one of their bulletins. On June 16, the PAGASA began initiating advisories on Tropical Depression Darna, that has developed just off the eastern coast of Luzon. As the system moved near the extreme northern portion of the  archipelago, the system began in a north-northeastward trajectory towards Taiwan. On June 19, the JMA followed suit on classifying Darna to a tropical depression, however, being located in an area of weakly sheared environment, the system rapidly weakened and dissipated. On August 2, the JMA started to track a tropical depression that had developed about 972 km (604 mi) southeast of Okinawa. The depression moved in a west-northwestward track until it was lasted noted to the east of Taiwan. Presumably related from the previous system, the JMA began to track another tropical depression that had developed near Shanghai  on August 5. The system emerged to the Yellow Sea and impacted the Korean Peninsula on August 7, before dissipating on the next day. This tropical depression brought heavy rainfall across eastern China, with Huangpu District, Shanghai getting 289 mm (11.4 in) of rainfall. Due to this, 30,000 houses were destroyed, and moreover, the system produced a tornado near the area. On August 16, the PAGASA started to track Tropical Depression Jolina to the west of Dagupan City. The depression slowly meandered in the place until its system's center became exposed, and dissipated on August 21. On October 20 , a tropical depression had developed a couple hundred miles east of the coast of Vietnam. The JTWC issued a TCFA when the system was embedded in a broad area of convection. However this was cancelled the next day when the system moved over Vietnam and dissipated. The tropical depression brought torrential rains all over Vietnam, which worsened the flooding that has been existing since August. 39 people have died with the added effects from the system, and damage totals from the overall flooding had reached ₫1.5 trillion (US$66.6 million). Storm names. Within the North-western Pacific Ocean, both  the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration assign names to tropical cyclones that develop in the Western Pacific, which can result in a tropical cyclone having two names. The Japan Meteorological Agency's RSMC Tokyo — Typhoon Center assigns international names to tropical cyclones on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization's Typhoon Committee, should they be judged to have 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 km/h, (40 mph). While the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in  their area of responsibility located between 135°E and 115°E and between 5°N-25°N even if the cyclone has had an international name assigned to it. The names of significant tropical cyclones are retired, by both PAGASA and the Typhoon Committee. Should the list of names for the Philippine region be exhausted then names will be taken from an auxiliary list of which the first ten are published each season. Unused names are marked in . International names. During the season 26 named tropical cyclones developed in the Western Pacific and were named by the  Japan Meteorological Agency, when it was determined that they had become tropical storms. These names were contributed to a list of a 140 names submitted by the fourteen members nations and territories of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. This is the only time that the names "Vipa" and "Vamei" was used. The former's spelling was corrected to "Wipha" in 2002, while the latter was retired. Philippines. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones in their area of responsibility. PAGASA assigns names to tropical depressions that form within their area of  responsibility and any tropical cyclone that might move into their area of responsibility. Should the list of names for a given year prove to be insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first 10 of which are published each year before the season starts. Starting in 2001, new sets of names are implemented. The names not retired from this list would be used again in the 2005 season. Names that were not assigned are marked in . Retirement. The name "Vamei" was retired by the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. The name "Peipah" was chosen to replace "Vamei". The name  Nanang was retired by PAGASA and was replaced by Nando for 2005. Season effects. This table lists all the storms that developed in the western Pacific Ocean to the west of the International Date Line during the 2001 season. It includes their intensity, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages. All damage figures are in 2001 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm include when the storm was a precursor wave or extratropical low.