2014 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Vongfong 2014
Vongfong reached extreme strength over the western Pacific before weakening toward Japan. Its large circulation later crossed Okinawa and the main Japanese islands.
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178 mph
Oct 7, 2014 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A powerful core east of the Philippines
Vongfong became a named storm on October 3 and a typhoon east of Guam on October 5. Its strengthening briefly stalled under less favorable upper winds, then accelerated on October 7. The archive records peak sustained winds of 155 knots late that day.
Known as Ompong in the Philippines, Vongfong maintained its peak for more than a day. An eyewall replacement cycle began weakening the core on October 9, and the eye disappeared as the cyclone passed through Okinawa on October 11.
A weakening crossing of Japan
Stronger upper winds exposed part of the circulation as Vongfong accelerated east-northeastward. It reached Kyushu on October 12 and continued across Japan, weakening to a severe tropical storm on October 13 before becoming extratropical the following day. Damage across the affected areas exceeded US$160 million, mainly from the mainland Japan passage.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Vongfong in brief
What was Typhoon Vongfong's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 7, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Vongfong?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 7, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Vongfong's lowest pressure?
907 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 7, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Vongfong occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 1, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 16, 2014, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 2, 2014, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 13, 2014, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Vongfong form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2014 season. Its first archived position is 5.5°N, 165.7°E on Oct 1, 2014, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Vongfong make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 58 mph on Oct 13, 2014, 12:00 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