2018 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Mangkhut 2018
Mangkhut carried a powerful circulation across the western Pacific and northern Luzon before reaching southern China. Its broad area of damaging weather also affected Guam and Hong Kong.
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178 mph
Sep 12, 2018 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A powerful approach from the western Pacific
Mangkhut's archived track begins east of the Mariana Islands on September 6. The cyclone moved across the western Pacific and strengthened to Category 5 intensity by September 11. Sustained winds reached an archived maximum of 155 knots on September 12.
Known in the Philippines as Ompong, the typhoon continued toward northern Luzon. It reached Baggao in Cagayan late on September 14 UTC, already September 15 locally. The crossing brought widespread destruction to the northern Philippines before the circulation moved into the South China Sea.
From Luzon toward southern China
Mangkhut continued toward Hong Kong and southern China, extending its damage across another heavily populated coastline. Guam, the Philippines and southern China all suffered substantial effects during the storm's life. The saved account estimates combined damage at US$3.77 billion in 2018 dollars. The archived track ends inland on September 17.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Deaths | 59 |
|---|---|
| Areas affected | People's Republic of China, Philippines, Taiwan |
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Mangkhut in brief
What was Typhoon Mangkhut's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 12, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Mangkhut?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 11, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Mangkhut's lowest pressure?
896 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 12, 2018, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Mangkhut occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 6, 2018, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 17, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 6, 2018, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 17, 2018, 06:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Mangkhut form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2018 season. Its first archived position is 11.8°N, 170.2°E on Sep 6, 2018, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Mangkhut make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 147 mph on Sep 14, 2018, 09:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
How many people died in Typhoon Mangkhut?
59 deaths are recorded by Wikidata.
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