2002 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Fengshen 2002
Typhoon Fengshen maintained super-typhoon strength for five days in July 2002, setting a duration record at the time. It weakened before crossing Japan's Osumi Islands and continuing toward China.
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167 mph
Jul 21, 2002 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Five days at super-typhoon strength
Fengshen developed near the Marshall Islands on July 13 and strengthened as a small cyclone. It became a typhoon two days later, then turned west and northwest under a subtropical ridge. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 145 kt on July 21.
Changes in the eyewall caused fluctuations during the prolonged intense phase. Fengshen also interacted with nearby Typhoon Fung-wong, which looped to its south. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center classified Fengshen as a super typhoon for five days, surpassing Joan's 1997 duration record.
A weaker storm reaches land
Dry air and less favorable upper-level flow weakened Fengshen before it reached Yakushima on July 25 as a severe tropical storm. A freighter ran aground during the storm, killing four people; rescuers saved 15 other crew members. Heavy rain caused mudslides and crop damage in Japan, where one additional person died.
Fengshen passed southwest of Jeju and weakened to a depression over the Yellow Sea. It crossed China's Shandong Peninsula late on July 27 and dissipated over the Bohai Sea the following day.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Fengshen in brief
What was Typhoon Fengshen's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jul 21, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Fengshen?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jul 18, 2002, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Fengshen's lowest pressure?
892 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jul 21, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Fengshen occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 13, 2002, 06:00 PM UTC to Jul 28, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jul 13, 2002, 06:00 PM UTC to Jul 28, 2002, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Fengshen form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2002 season. Its first archived position is 10.9°N, 171.8°E on Jul 13, 2002, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Fengshen make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is an unrecorded wind on Jul 27, 2002, 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