2002 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Mitag 2002
Typhoon Mitag became the first recorded March super typhoon in 2002. Before reaching its peak east of the Philippines, it damaged homes and crops on Yap and flooded the island's coastal communities.
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161 mph
Mar 5, 2002 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Westward through Micronesia
Mitag developed from a trough near the equator in late February and moved west through the Federated States of Micronesia. It strengthened into a typhoon before passing just south of Yap on March 2. Wind, heavy rain and storm surge damaged hundreds of homes and flooded Colonia and other coastal areas.
Yap lost electricity across the island. Severe crop losses created food shortages, and damage totaled about US$150 million in 2002 currency, mostly in agriculture. One death occurred in the aftermath on Yap; Mitag also contributed to a death in Palau.
An unusual March peak
An approaching trough turned Mitag northwest and then north. It continued strengthening despite forecasts of weakening, reaching maximum one-minute winds of 140 kt on March 5, east of Catanduanes. That made it the first super typhoon recorded in March.
Cooler air and stronger upper-level winds then weakened the storm. Mitag dissipated on March 9, still well east of the Philippines, where PAGASA had assigned it the local name Basyang.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Mitag in brief
What was Typhoon Mitag's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Mar 5, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Mitag?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Mar 5, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Mitag's lowest pressure?
898 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Mar 5, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Mitag occur?
The archived track runs from Feb 26, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC to Mar 9, 2002, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Feb 26, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC to Mar 9, 2002, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Mitag form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2002 season. Its first archived position is 6.1°N, 156.3°E on Feb 26, 2002, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Mitag make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Mitag'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