2006 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Saomai 2006
Typhoon Saomai struck eastern China in August 2006 with a compact, powerful core. It reached communities that had already suffered from Tropical Storm Bilis a month earlier.
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161 mph
Aug 9, 2006 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening west of the Marianas
Saomai developed east of Chuuk and moved northwest through the Mariana Islands. It became a typhoon on August 7 and later interacted with nearby Tropical Storm Bopha, which shifted its track southward and supplied additional moisture. The archive records maximum one-minute winds of 140 kt on August 9.
A powerful landfall in Zhejiang
After passing south of Okinawa, Saomai brushed northern Taiwan and turned west toward China. It reached Cangnan County in southern Zhejiang on August 10 while retaining a small, clear eye. The China Meteorological Administration assessed it at the time as the strongest recorded typhoon to strike mainland China.
The storm weakened inland, but wind and rain caused extensive destruction. The saved account records 456 deaths and about US$2.5 billion in damage in 2006 currency. Its passage over areas affected by Bilis compounded an already difficult summer for eastern China.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Saomai in brief
What was Typhoon Saomai's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 9, 2006, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Saomai?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 9, 2006, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Saomai's lowest pressure?
898 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 9, 2006, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Saomai occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 4, 2006, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 12, 2006, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 4, 2006, 06:00 PM UTC to Aug 12, 2006, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Saomai form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2006 season. Its first archived position is 7°N, 151.3°E on Aug 4, 2006, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Saomai make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 132 mph on Aug 10, 2006, 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