2009 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Lupit 2009
Lupit strengthened quickly over the western Pacific, then slowed and weakened before turning northeastward. Its track changed direction without an archived crossing of land.
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161 mph
Oct 19, 2009 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Organization near Micronesia
Lupit's precursor was a broad, disorganized circulation near Micronesia on October 13. Low wind shear and warm seas helped thunderstorms consolidate, and the system became a depression the following day. It received the name Lupit on October 15 and became a typhoon on October 16.
The storm entered the Philippine monitoring area, where it was named Ramil. Continued strengthening brought it to Category 5 intensity, with archived sustained winds reaching 140 knots on October 19. The strongest phase was brief, and Lupit weakened substantially by October 20.
A sharp change of direction
Dry air and less favorable conditions further weakened the circulation. By October 24, Lupit was a tropical storm, and its westward drift gave way to faster northeastward motion. It began losing its tropical structure as it accelerated away, with Japanese advisories continuing into October 27. No archived position places its center over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Lupit in brief
What was Typhoon Lupit's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 19, 2009, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Lupit?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 18, 2009, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Lupit's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 19, 2009, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Lupit occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 13, 2009, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 30, 2009, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 14, 2009, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 26, 2009, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Lupit form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2009 season. Its first archived position is 9.6°N, 153.5°E on Oct 13, 2009, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Lupit make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Lupit'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