2009 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Melor 2009
Melor reached Category 5 strength in the western Pacific before turning toward Japan. Along the way, its interaction with Typhoon Parma helped keep that storm near northern Luzon.
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173 mph
Oct 4, 2009 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid intensification and a nearby typhoon
Melor developed into a tropical depression on September 29 and strengthened rapidly during the first days of October. Favorable outflow allowed the storm's thunderstorms to organize around its center. Sustained winds reached an archived maximum of 150 knots on October 4.
As Melor moved northwestward, it interacted with Parma near the Philippines. The circulation around the two storms helped hold Parma near northern Luzon, prolonging heavy rainfall there. Melor itself continued toward Japan while gradually losing strength.
Japan and the North Pacific
Melor reached Japan on October 7 UTC and became extratropical as it crossed the country. The saved account reports three deaths and approximately US$1.5 billion in damage in Japan, measured in 2009 dollars.
Its remnants continued across the North Pacific and were absorbed into another low near Alaska. That developing system later strengthened and affected the western United States, extending the meteorological history of Melor's remnants beyond its tropical lifetime.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Melor in brief
What was Typhoon Melor's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 4, 2009, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Melor?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 3, 2009, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Melor's lowest pressure?
911 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 4, 2009, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Melor occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 28, 2009, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 11, 2009, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 29, 2009, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 8, 2009, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Melor form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2009 season. Its first archived position is 7.3°N, 163.8°E on Sep 28, 2009, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Melor make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 72 mph on Oct 7, 2009, 07:00 PM 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