2021 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Rai 2021
Recorded track and intensity from Dec 11, 2021 to Dec 21, 2021
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173 mph
Dec 16, 2021 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Track and intensity summary
Rai is listed in the Western Pacific basin for the 2021 season. Its archived track begins on Dec 11, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC at 5.3°N, 145°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 23 mph. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.
The first Category 5 observation appears on Dec 15, 2021, 09:00 PM UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 173 mph, first recorded on Dec 16, 2021, 12:00 AM UTC at 9.7°N, 127.6°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 908 hPa on Dec 16, 2021, 12:00 AM UTC.
The full record spans 240 hours and approximately 3,210 mi along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 21.7°N, 116.5°E on Dec 21, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on Dec 20, 2021, 03:00 PM UTC.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Rai in brief
What was Typhoon Rai's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Dec 16, 2021, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Rai?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Dec 15, 2021, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Rai's lowest pressure?
908 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Dec 16, 2021, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Rai occur?
The archived track runs from Dec 11, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 21, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Dec 12, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 20, 2021, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Rai form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2021 season. Its first archived position is 5.3°N, 145°E on Dec 11, 2021, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Rai make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 138 mph on Dec 16, 2021, 12:00 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