2018 Western Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Jebi 2018

Jebi weakened from its Category 5 offshore peak before striking Japan, but its winds and storm surge caused severe damage in Kansai. Flooding and a bridge collision cut access to Kansai International Airport.

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
Satellite image of Jebi 2018
VIIRS image captured by NOAA's NOAA-20 satellite. public domain Source
Jebi 2018: JEBI infrared satellite image, 2018-08-31T03:00:00Z
Digital Typhoon, National Institute of Informatics (doi:10.20783/DIAS.664). CC BY 4.0 Source
JEBI: complete recorded track, Aug 26, 2018–Sep 7, 2018Recorded track from Aug 26, 2018 to Sep 7, 2018. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.NORTH AMERICAAUSTRALIAASIAPHILIPPINESMADAGASCARINDIAFIJITONGAVANUATUNEW CALEDONIAMAURITIUSMEXICOPacific OceanIndian OceanAug 27, 12:00 AM UTCAug 28, 12:00 AM UTCAug 29, 12:00 AM UTCAug 30, 12:00 AM UTCAug 31, 12:00 AM UTCSep 1, 12:00 AM UTCSep 2, 12:00 AM UTCSep 3, 12:00 AM UTCSep 4, 12:00 AM UTCSep 5, 12:00 AM UTCSep 6, 12:00 AM UTCSep 7, 12:00 AM UTCPeak: Category 5AUG 26SEP 7

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DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Wind speed 178 mphPressure 907 mb
09001009602001020mphmbAug 26Aug 30Sep 3Sep 7
Forward speed 15 mphCumulative ACE 13.56 10⁴ kt²
0030206040mph10⁴ kt²Aug 26Aug 30Sep 3Sep 7
Maximum sustained wind178 mph

178 mph

Minimum recorded pressure907 hPa

Aug 31, 2018 during the tropical stage

Recorded track duration11.5 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance4,830 mi

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

A Pacific peak before the turn toward Japan

Jebi developed southwest of Wake Island in late August and moved westward. It strengthened rapidly while passing the Northern Mariana Islands, reaching archived sustained winds of 155 knots on August 31. The cyclone then weakened gradually as it curved northwest and north-northeast.

Accelerating toward Japan, Jebi made landfalls on Shikoku and near Kobe on September 4. It crossed the country and lost its tropical structure over the Sea of Japan, with remnants continuing toward the Russian Far East.

Severe disruption around Osaka Bay

Powerful winds damaged nearly 98,000 homes and left almost three million customers without electricity. Storm surge flooded part of Kansai International Airport, while a tanker blown into its access bridge severed the connection to the mainland. Bridge repairs took seven months.

Rain, wind and surge also damaged agriculture, shrines and historic buildings. Fourteen people died in Japan, mostly from falls or flying debris, and hundreds were injured. Insured losses were estimated at US$13–14 billion.

Further reading

NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive

Wikipedia, Typhoon Jebi (2018)

QUICK ANSWERS

Jebi in brief

What was Typhoon Jebi's highest wind speed?

178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 31, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.

What category was Typhoon Jebi?

Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 30, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.

What was Typhoon Jebi's lowest pressure?

907 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 31, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.

When did Typhoon Jebi occur?

The archived track runs from Aug 26, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 7, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 26, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC to Sep 4, 2018, 09:00 PM UTC.

Where did Typhoon Jebi form?

In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2018 season. Its first archived position is 11°N, 160.5°E on Aug 26, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC.

Did Typhoon Jebi make landfall?

The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 104 mph on Sep 4, 2018, 03:00 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