2013 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Haiyan 2013
Haiyan crossed the central Philippines at extraordinary strength, devastating communities in Samar and Leyte. Known locally as Yolanda, it became one of the country's deadliest recorded typhoons.
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196 mph
Nov 7, 2013 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid intensification across the Pacific
Haiyan developed east-southeast of Pohnpei in early November and moved generally westward. After receiving its name on November 4, it intensified rapidly and reached Category 5 strength on November 6. The powerful core passed over Kayangel in Palau before continuing toward the Philippines.
The archive records peak sustained winds of 170 knots and a central pressure of 895 millibars on November 7. Haiyan reached Guiuan, Eastern Samar, at 20:40 UTC that day, already November 8 locally. It made five more Philippine landfalls while gradually weakening across the islands.
Catastrophic destruction in the Visayas
Samar and Leyte suffered catastrophic destruction. The saved account reports at least 6,300 deaths in the Visayas, while United Nations officials estimated that roughly 11 million people were affected. Extensive housing losses left many survivors without homes.
Haiyan emerged over the South China Sea and turned northwestward, reaching northern Vietnam as a much weaker storm on November 10. Its tropical track ended the following day. The international name Haiyan was retired in 2014 because of the deaths and destruction.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Haiyan in brief
What was Typhoon Haiyan's highest wind speed?
196 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 7, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Haiyan?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 6, 2013, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Haiyan's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 7, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Haiyan occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 2, 2013, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 11, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 3, 2013, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 11, 2013, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Haiyan form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2013 season. Its first archived position is 6.6°N, 161.6°E on Nov 2, 2013, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Haiyan make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 3 recorded positions; the strongest is 190 mph on Nov 8, 2013, 12:00 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