2002 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Hagibis 2002
Typhoon Hagibis brought rain that ended Guam's wildfire season before reaching Category 5 strength in May 2002. It then accelerated northeast across the Pacific without a recorded land crossing.
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161 mph
May 19, 2002 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Developing southwest of Guam
Hagibis formed within the monsoon trough near the Caroline Islands and moved northwest. It remained weak for several days before becoming a tropical storm on May 16, about 200 kilometers southwest of Guam. Rain from the developing system helped end the island's wildfire season.
Strengthening during the northeast turn
An approaching trough turned Hagibis northeast around the time it became a typhoon. The storm developed a clear eye and intensified while accelerating. On May 19, it reached peak one-minute winds of 140 kt, equivalent to Category 5, west-southwest of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The strongest phase lasted only about 12 hours. Dry air entered the circulation, the eye weakened and the storm began losing tropical characteristics. Hagibis became extratropical east of Japan on May 21; its remnants continued northeast and dissipated south of the Aleutian Islands the next day.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Hagibis in brief
What was Typhoon Hagibis's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on May 19, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Hagibis?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on May 19, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Hagibis's lowest pressure?
898 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on May 19, 2002, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Hagibis occur?
The archived track runs from May 13, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC to May 22, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from May 13, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC to May 21, 2002, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Hagibis form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2002 season. Its first archived position is 3°N, 150.2°E on May 13, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Hagibis make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Hagibis's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
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