2000 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Bilis 2000
Typhoon Bilis crossed Taiwan near peak strength in August 2000 and then struck Fujian in mainland China. Its short passage over Taiwan's mountains weakened the storm before the second landfall.
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161 mph
Aug 21, 2000 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening toward Taiwan
Bilis developed from disturbed weather near Guam in mid-August and followed a northwest course. Favorable conditions supported tightly wrapped rainbands and a growing circulation. It became a typhoon on August 20 and developed a clear eye as it intensified.
The archive records maximum one-minute winds of 140 kt on August 21, equivalent to Category 5, and a minimum central pressure of 920 hPa. Bilis maintained much of its strength on the approach to Taiwan, where an archived overland position on August 22 carries a wind estimate of 135 kt.
Across Taiwan and into Fujian
The typhoon weakened during its Taiwan crossing, then traversed the Taiwan Strait and reached Fujian early the next day. Inland, Bilis fell to depression strength and lost its tropical organization. Its remnants moved northeast across the Yellow Sea and dissipated over the Korean Peninsula on August 27.
The saved account records 71 deaths along Bilis's route, with the greatest damage in Taiwan and mainland China. PAGASA tracked the same storm under the local Philippine name Isang.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Bilis in brief
What was Typhoon Bilis's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 21, 2000, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Bilis?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 21, 2000, 03:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Bilis's lowest pressure?
920 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 21, 2000, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Bilis occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 17, 2000, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 27, 2000, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 17, 2000, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 25, 2000, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Bilis form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2000 season. Its first archived position is 8.3°N, 139.2°E on Aug 17, 2000, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Bilis make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 155 mph on Aug 22, 2000, 03:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology