2016 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Haima 2016
Haima intensified rapidly over warm western Pacific waters before crossing northern Luzon. Known locally as Lawin, it prompted the highest Philippine warning signal in Cagayan and Isabela.
Drag to pan. Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.
167 mph
Oct 18, 2016 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid growth south of Guam
Haima developed in the Caroline Islands south of Guam on October 14. Thunderstorm bands quickly wrapped around its consolidating center, and the system became a named tropical storm on October 15. Very warm water, substantial ocean heat and low wind shear supported further intensification.
The archive records peak sustained winds of 145 knots on October 18, placing Haima at Category 5 strength. Philippine authorities raised Signal No. 5 in Cagayan and Isabela ahead of its approach. The cyclone weakened before making landfall at Penablanca in Cagayan.
Across Luzon and into the South China Sea
Crossing northern Luzon further weakened Haima, but the storm continued westward toward southern China. Damage in the Philippines was estimated at 3.74 billion pesos, approximately US$77.6 million. Its tropical stage ended on October 21, while the archive follows the remaining circulation into October 26.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Haima in brief
What was Typhoon Haima's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 18, 2016, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Haima?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 18, 2016, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Haima's lowest pressure?
914 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 18, 2016, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Haima occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 14, 2016, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 26, 2016, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 14, 2016, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 21, 2016, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Haima form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2016 season. Its first archived position is 6.3°N, 145.7°E on Oct 14, 2016, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Haima make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 121 mph on Oct 19, 2016, 06:00 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