The 2024 Pacific Typhoon Season was overall below average. However, the Western Pacific produced an unusual event and arguably the main highlight of the season: back-to-back typhoons for the Philippines. Let's dive into how these typhoons developed and their impacts.
Typhoon Yinxing
The first storm of the November typhoon train was Yinxing. On November 3, 2024, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) marked a tropical depression, which later became Tropical Storm Yinxing. By November 5, the storm rapidly intensified to a Category 3 typhoon. After maintaining intensity, on November 7th at 6 am UTC, Yinxing peaked as a Category 4 typhoon with powerful sustained winds of 145 mph before making landfall on Santa Ana, Cagayan, Philippines. After heading west and weakening to Category 1 intensity, the typhoon restrengthened to a high-end Category 3 in the South China Sea. On November 10, wind shear increased and the storm quickly weakened, dissipating on November 12.
Yinxing produced about 10 inches of rain in Cagayan. Strong winds damaged over 28,000 houses and flooding closed multiple bridges. One fatality has been reported. Overall, infrastructure and agricultural damages totaled more than $9 million. After the typhoon, the South Korean government and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office provided aid worth over $700,000 to affected areas. Lastly, models did not develop Yinxing until the day the storm formed, which was quite interesting, and its peak intensity was very unexpected.
Typhoon Toraji
On November 8, a tropical disturbance developed into Tropical Storm Toraji. A day later, the system underwent rapid intensification and unofficially peaked as a Category 2 typhoon with a defined inner core and sustained winds of 100 mph. Afterward, Toraji underwent an eyewall replacement cycle. The storm maintained high-end Category 1 intensity until it made landfall on Dilasag, Aurora, Philippines near November 11th at 12 am UTC. Mountainous terrain caused significant weakening. However, on November 12, the storm briefly re-intensified to a Category 1 typhoon in the South China Sea. On November 14, Toraji became a remnant low due to strong wind shear.
Typhoon Toraji caused several bridges to close, damaged nearly 3,000 houses, and impacted over 400,000 people. The water levels of the Cagayan River overflowed, inundating multiple villages. Unfortunately, Toraji caused four fatalities and damages totaled more than $7 million. Similar to Yinxing, models did not predict Toraji to intensify significantly until the storm started to rapidly develop.
Super Typhoon Usagi
On November 11, the JMA named Tropical Storm Usagi and upgraded the storm to a Category 1 typhoon a day later. On November 13, warm sea surface temperatures and low wind shear resulted in Usagi undergoing explosive intensification. The storm strengthened to an astonishing Category 5 super typhoon in less than 24 hours, with a well-defined pinhole eye and unofficial sustained fierce winds of 175 mph. Near peak intensity, a high-resolution satellite measured an eye temperature of about 15°C, which was impressively warm to capture for a pinhole eye. Due to some zenith angle, which measures how far a satellite is from being directly overhead, the actual temperature was likely higher. Afterward, Usagi rapidly weakened as it approached Luzon province and made landfall in Baggao, Philippines on November 14, only three days after Toraji's landfall. Land interaction caused the storm's eye and structure to collapse. After crossing northern Luzon, Usagi gradually weakened as a tropical storm and dissipated near southwestern Taiwan.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that over 850,000 people were impacted. Over 200 cities experienced power outages and at least 120,000 houses were damaged. In Gonzaga, some houses were swept away and uprooted trees collapsed a bridge. Although there have been no reported fatalities, damages totaled more than $9 million.
Super Typhoon Man-yi
On November 9, the JMA named Tropical Storm Man-yi and initially peaked as a relatively strong tropical storm. However, wind shear displaced convection and disorganized the system. After passing the Northern Mariana Islands, wind shear subsided on November 14, allowing the storm to resume strengthening. Man-yi underwent rapid intensification and had a 75 mph increase in winds within 24 hours. On November 16, Man-yi peaked as a powerful Category 5 super typhoon, with violent unofficial winds of 175 mph. A high-resolution satellite revealed a stunningly warm eye temperature of about 26°C. Later that day, the ferocious high-end Category 4 storm slammed into Catanduanes. The following day, Category 4 Typhoon Man-yi made a second landfall in Dipaculao, Philippines. After crossing the Philippines and weakening to a tropical storm, Man-yi restrengthened to a Category 1 typhoon, but increasing wind shear caused the storm to degenerate into a remnant low on November 19.
Man-yi was the last storm of this astonishing November typhoon train for the Philippines. Unfortunately, the NDRRMC reported that Man-yi killed 14 people and damages exceeded $58 million. The powerful typhoon damaged or destroyed more than 75,000 houses, impacted a staggering 4 million people, caused widespread flooding, and rendered roads impassable due to landslides. Camille Gianan, Provincial Information Officer of Catanduanes, said "[many people] have not recovered from the previous storms when the super typhoon hit. It's been one calamity after another." The Philippine's departments, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Officer donated a total of over $3 million in humanitarian aid and disaster relief supplies to impacted families.
An important aspect related to the November typhoon train is that in December 2024, a study by World Weather Attribution concluded that climate change increased the risk of at least three Category 3-5 typhoons hitting the Philippines in a year by 25%. Typhoons Yinxing, Toraji, Usagi, and Man-yi were consecutive extreme events, exacerbating the crisis and hindering efforts for populations to recover. The Philippines has advanced a proactive disaster risk management framework, exemplified by proposed legislation to implement anticipatory action under a State of Imminent Disaster. This approach will enable the government to carry out preemptive measures ahead of calamities, mitigating impacts and enhancing preparedness of natural disasters.
Conclusion
The November typhoon train was deadly and destructive. All four typhoons (Category 4 Yinxing, Category 2 Toraji, Category 5s Usagi and Man-yi) caused widespread devastation and flooding in many areas across the Philippines. Unfortunately, communities had little time to recover and prepare, and these powerful storms overwhelmed and exhausted supplies of emergency responders. The typhoons exemplify the challenges to adapt to back-to-back extreme weather events. As a result, there needs to be a structural plan to combat such disasters. The aforementioned risk management framework will hopefully make affected populations more resilient to future storms.
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