2012 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Bopha 2012
Bopha developed unusually close to the equator and struck Mindanao after reaching Category 5 strength. Known in the Philippines as Pablo, it caused widespread destruction across the island.
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173 mph
Dec 3, 2012 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
An unusually southerly typhoon
Bopha's archived track begins near 3 degrees north on November 25. The cyclone moved westward across the Caroline Islands and brought damage to Palau before approaching the Philippines. Its low-latitude route carried the powerful circulation toward Mindanao rather than the more frequently affected northern islands.
Sustained winds reached an archived peak of 150 knots on December 3. Bopha then struck eastern Mindanao late that day UTC, already December 4 locally. Davao Oriental and the area now called Davao de Oro were among the hardest-hit provinces.
Destruction across Mindanao
The typhoon crossed southern and central Mindanao, cutting power and triggering landslides. Thousands of residents lost their homes, and more than 170,000 people sought shelter in evacuation centers. The circulation continued toward Palawan and the South China Sea, where its later track ended on December 9.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Bopha in brief
What was Typhoon Bopha's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Dec 3, 2012, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Bopha?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Dec 3, 2012, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Bopha's lowest pressure?
911 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Dec 3, 2012, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Bopha occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 25, 2012, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 9, 2012, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 25, 2012, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 9, 2012, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Bopha form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2012 season. Its first archived position is 3.4°N, 157.4°E on Nov 25, 2012, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Bopha make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 153 mph on Dec 3, 2012, 09:00 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