2012 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Jelawat 2012
Jelawat maintained extreme strength over the western Pacific before turning toward Japan. It passed through Okinawa and then reached Aichi Prefecture on the main island of Honshu.
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.
161 mph
Sep 24, 2012 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid strengthening east of the Philippines
Jelawat began as a disturbance east of Guam in September. It developed into a named storm as it moved into the Philippine monitoring area, where it was called Lawin. Very low wind shear and favorable outflow supported rapid organization and strengthening.
The archive first places Jelawat at Category 5 intensity late on September 24, with sustained winds of 140 knots. The storm maintained a powerful core for nearly two days before its later approach to Japan. Its strongest phase therefore preceded the populated island crossings farther north.
Through Okinawa to Honshu
Jelawat passed through Okinawa Prefecture on September 29 and made landfall in Aichi on September 30. It was the third typhoon to directly strike Okinawa Island that year, following Bolaven and Sanba. Two people died in Japan. The storm became extratropical on October 1, while its archived track continues into October 3.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Jelawat in brief
What was Typhoon Jelawat's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 24, 2012, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Jelawat?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 24, 2012, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Jelawat's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 24, 2012, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Jelawat occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 19, 2012, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 3, 2012, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 19, 2012, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 1, 2012, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Jelawat form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2012 season. Its first archived position is 14.9°N, 140.7°E on Sep 19, 2012, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Jelawat make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 69 mph on Sep 30, 2012, 06:00 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