Hurricane (Typhoon) — Micronesia, Guam

2003-11-22 to 2003-11-25 · Micronesia, Guam

Wider weather episode

TYPHOON LUPITLupit started as a tropical depression about 200 miles northeast of Pohnpei on the morning of November 20th, and intensified steadily as it moved west through Micronesia over the next five days. Lupit passed 160 miles north of Pohnpei as a 55 mph tropical storm on the afternoon of the 21st, and was upgraded to a typhoon as it passed 115 miles north of Chuuk late in the day on the 22nd. Typhoon Lupit continued to slowly intensify as it moved west-southwest on the 23rd, reaching 110 mph as it passed 45 miles north of Woleai Atoll in Yap State early on the 24th, 115 mph as it passed 30 miles northeast of Fais in the predawn hours of the 25th, 120 mph as it passed 35 miles northeast of Ulithi late in the morning, and 130 mph late that afternoon as it passed 145 miles northeast of Yap.Pohnpei State:Just before attaining typhoon intensity, Lupit passed 75 miles north of Oroluk Atoll in far-western Pohnpei State around 0700 SST on the 22nd. The automated station at Oroluk reported a maximum sustained wind of 18 mph from the southwest with a peak gust of 38 mph that morning, but the highest winds came a day later in enhanced monsoon flow, reaching 28 mph gusting to 43 mph from the south early on the 23rd. In the 24 hours ending at 2100 SST on the 22nd, 6.28 inches of rain was recorded. No injuries or damage were reported from Oroluk. Chuuk State:At the Chuuk Weather Service Office, the highest wind gust observed was from the south at 40 mph on the 23rd at 0800 SST, and 6.37 inches of rain fell in the 24 hours ending at 1000 SST on the 23rd. But in the Hall Islands, about 70 miles north of Chuuk, sustained winds likely reached 60-70 mph on the afternoon and evening of the 22nd as Lupit passed only 45 miles to the north. The same is true for Ulul, 180 miles northwest of Chuuk, where 60-70 mph winds were likely as Lupit passed 45 miles to the north around 0300 SST on the 23rd. The automated station there recorded a minimum pressure of 975.3 mb at that time, and 7.68" of rain was recorded in the 22 hours ending on the 23rd at 1000 SST.There were no deaths or major injuries in the Hall islands or Ulul, but an unspecified number of "minor" injuries was reported. Most banana trees and some palm trees were blown down, and salt water contamination severely damaged or destroyed 100% of the subsistence crops on the islands. Yap State: On its rampage through Yap State, Typhoon Lupit affected Fais and Ulithi most severely, while dealing significant but lesser blows to Woleai and its neighboring atolls, and affecting Yap least of all. As Lupit passed north of Woleai early on the 24th, peak wind gusts are estimated to have reached 60 to 70 mph. But as Lupit passed 30 miles northeast of Fais around 0500 SST on the 25th, it hit that island with wind gusts estimated at 115 to 125 mph, along with an estimated 10" or more of rain. Later in the morning, as Lupit passed 35 miles northeast of Ulithi, the automated station there recorded a highest sustained wind of 48 mph from the south at 1000 SST, and a peak gust of 98 mph from the southwest an hour later. The lowest recorded pressure was 986.1 mb at 0900 SST, and 10.35" of rain fell in the 24 hours ending at 1500 SST that afternoon. Finally, as Lupit passed well northeast of Yap that afternoon, west winds at the Yap Weather Service Office gusted to 58 mph at 1307 SST, while the highest sustained wind of 35 mph didn't occur until 1657 SST, when the lowest pressure of 995.1 mb was measured. Rainfall at Yap totalled 5.02" in the 24 hours ending at 2200 SST that evening. Miraculously, there were no deaths or serious injuries reported anywhere in Yap State, only an unspecified number of "minor" injuries. Damage for individual islands or island groups is summarized below:Fais: Since Fais is an elevated island, inundation was not a factor, but 14 to 18 foot surf caused severe beach erosion. Numerous buildings were heavily damaged, with many roofs blown off. All subsistence crops were destroyed, including bananas and breadfruit. The island water supply was severely contaminated by sea spray. Ulithi: Coastal inundation of 3 to 5 feet, along with 14 to 18 foot surf, resulted in severe beach erosion and contamination of the water supply. All cultivated crops were destroyed, and the salt-saturated soil will be unfit for growing crops for one to two years. Many buildings were damaged, and power lines and poles were blown down. Woleai, Ifalik, Eauripik, Lamotrek, Satawal and neighboring islands: Coastal inundation was 2 to 4 feet, causing severe beach erosion and destroying most cultivated crops, including all crops on Ifalik, and rendering salty soils unsuitable for cultivation for up to 2 years. The sea water also severely contaiminated the islands' water supplies. Many tree limbs and power lines were downed on Woleai, and Woleai's runway was covered with sea water, making it unusable for a week. Several buildings were damaged, with roofs blown off. Yap: Only moderate beach erosion was noted, mainly on northern and eastern exposures. In low-lying areas in the northern, northeastern and southern parts of Yap, sea spray destroyed all the cultivated crops. Along those same coastlines, some roads and sea walls were damaged.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5327784. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.