2011 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Nanmadol 2011
Nanmadol brought prolonged rain to northern Luzon before weakening toward Taiwan and China. Its slow movement compounded flooding and landslides after the strongest winds had passed.
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161 mph
Aug 26, 2011 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A powerful, slow approach to Luzon
Nanmadol organized east of the Philippines during August and became a named storm on August 23. A developing eye accompanied rapid strengthening. Archived sustained winds reached 140 knots on August 26, placing the storm at Category 5 intensity before its northern Luzon passage.
Known locally as Mina, Nanmadol brought severe winds and persistent rain to Cagayan and neighboring provinces. Trees, power lines and communications lines fell, while swollen rivers overtopped bridges. Slow movement kept the northern Philippines under heavy rain and contributed to landslides, including the collapse of a retaining wall at Baguio's dump facility.
Weakening across Taiwan
Nanmadol weakened as it approached southern Taiwan, with its eye becoming less distinct. It reached Dawu Township in Taitung late on August 28 UTC. The crossing further disrupted its core, and the storm emerged into the Taiwan Strait with fragmented rainbands before continuing northwestward. Its archived track ends on August 31.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Nanmadol in brief
What was Typhoon Nanmadol's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 26, 2011, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Nanmadol?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 26, 2011, 03:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Nanmadol's lowest pressure?
918 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 26, 2011, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Nanmadol occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 21, 2011, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 31, 2011, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 22, 2011, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 31, 2011, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Nanmadol form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2011 season. Its first archived position is 11.9°N, 128.8°E on Aug 21, 2011, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Nanmadol make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 3 recorded positions; the strongest is 142 mph on Aug 27, 2011, 03:00 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