Typhoon Usagi (2007)
Typhoon Usagi was a powerful and destructive typhoon that struck Japan as a Category 1 typhoon in early-August of 2007, just thirteen days after Man-yi affected the country. The fifth named storm, and the fourth typhoon of the annual 2007 Pacific typhoon season, Usagi originated from a disturbance that developed to the east-northeast of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. Moving to the southwest, the JTWC issued a TCFA on the system later that day, with also the JMA upgrading the system to a tropical depression. The depression soon became a tropical storm, receiving the name  Usagi. Under favorable conditions, it rapidly intensified to a typhoon, with the storm developing a clear eye. It soon reached its peak intensity on August 1, shortly before weakening due to increasing wind shear and cooling sea surface temperatures. It soon made landfall near Kyushu, Japan as a Category 1 typhoon, the next day before entering the Sea of Japan. Turning to the north, the typhoon weakened as it started an extratropical transition and was completed on August 4. The JTWC tracked the system's remnants until it dissipated on the Bering Sea on August 7. Meteorological history. On July  26, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center identified an area of disturbed weather east of the Mariana Islands. This area moved westward and increased in organization, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system on July 27. The Japan Meteorological Agency designated the system a tropical depression later that day. The next day, the JMA began issuing advisories on the depression, and the JTWC followed suit, designating it Tropical Depression 05W. The system quickly strengthened as it approached the Mariana Islands, and the JTWC upgraded it to a tropical storm six hours later. The  JMA did so early on July 29, designating the system as Tropical Storm Usagi. Usagi passed between Pagan and Agrihan later on July 29, and began to quickly strengthen. The JTWC upgraded it to a typhoon later that day, citing Dvorak technique numbers indicating an estimate of 65 knots (120 km/h, 75 mph) and a developing eye. The system gradually turned toward the northwest, and the JMA upgraded it to a severe tropical storm early on July 30, and then to a typhoon on July 31 as it passed to the south of Iwo Jima. Usagi moved northwest over  warm waters, reaching peak intensity on August 1 before weakening due to cooling sea surface temperatures and increasing wind shear as it approached Kyūshū. Usagi made landfall on August 2 near Nobeoka, Miyazaki as a rapidly weakening typhoon, and it was downgraded to a severe tropical storm shortly after. The system continued weakening rapidly as it moved across Kyūshū and Honshū, and the JMA downgraded it to a tropical storm later that day. The JTWC downgraded the system to a tropical storm late on August 2 and issued its last advisory early on August 3 as it began to undergo  extratropical transition. Usagi then made further landfalls on northern Honshū in Aomori Prefecture before becoming fully extratropical on August 4, leading the JMA to stop advisories. The extratropical remnants of Usagi were tracked by the JTWC until it dissipated on August 7 over the Bering Sea. Preparations. Northern Mariana Islands. The National Weather Service office in Guam issued tropical storm warnings for Pagan Island and Agrihan in the Northern Marianas shortly after the system was upgraded. Japan. Millions of residents from Shikoku and Honshu evacuated in preparation for the approaching typhoon. The airlines in the country had cancelled some 240  domestic flights, affecting more than 22,000 passengers. Train services in Kyushu have been partially suspended, according to railway companies there. Impact. The center of Usagi passed, just 40 kilometers to the north of Nyutabaru, bringing hurricane-force winds to the area. As a typhoon, Usagi caused no known fatalities, but injured 18 individuals. The typhoon left almost 8,000 houses without power due to the downed electrical lines. There were also reports of flooding, landslides, and storm surge on the country's coast. It left over $500 million worth of damages across Japan.