2004 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Chaba 2004
Typhoon Chaba damaged the Mariana Islands before reaching Category 5 strength in August 2004. It later weakened and crossed Kyushu, adding to Japan's costly succession of typhoons that season.
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178 mph
Aug 23, 2004 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Destructive winds on Rota
Chaba developed northeast of Kwajalein and moved west across the Pacific. Rota spent several hours beneath its eyewall, with gusts reaching 219 km/h at the airport. Winds damaged or destroyed homes, and storm surge eroded beaches. Damage in the Northern Marianas totaled about US$18 million in 2004 currency.
One person died in the Northern Marianas and another in Guam. Officials declared a state of emergency in Guam, and parts of the Northern Marianas received federal disaster declarations. Chaba continued strengthening, reaching maximum one-minute winds of 155 kt on August 23.
Heavy rain across Kyushu
The typhoon's intensity fluctuated as it slowed south of Japan. It reached Kyushu near the end of August at a much lower intensity than its offshore peak, then moved across the Sea of Japan and became extratropical.
Japan recorded 18 deaths and about ¥289 billion in damage in 2004 currency. Rainfall reached 821 millimeters in Miyazaki Prefecture, and floodwater inundated tens of thousands of homes. Power failures and transport disruption extended across the affected region.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Chaba in brief
What was Typhoon Chaba's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 23, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Chaba?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 22, 2004, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Chaba's lowest pressure?
879 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 23, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Chaba occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 17, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 5, 2004, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 18, 2004, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 30, 2004, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Chaba form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2004 season. Its first archived position is 9.3°N, 172.3°E on Aug 17, 2004, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Chaba make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 98 mph on Aug 30, 2004, 06:00 AM 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