2019 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Wutip 2019
Wutip became an exceptionally powerful February typhoon southwest of Guam. Although its center remained offshore in the archive, rain and wind damaged communities across Micronesia.
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167 mph
Feb 23, 2019 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Two strong phases in February
Wutip's precursor moved westward from the Marshall Islands and organized into a depression in February. The storm gradually strengthened while turning northwestward, then intensified rapidly southwest of Guam. Archived sustained winds reached 145 knots on February 23.
An eyewall replacement cycle briefly weakened Wutip, but it regained Category 5 strength during a second intensification period. Strong wind shear then caused rapid decline. The weakening system was called Betty within the Philippine monitoring area and dissipated over the Philippine Sea by March 2.
Damage to food and water supplies
Flooding in the Federated States of Micronesia contaminated water sources and damaged agriculture and infrastructure. More than 11,000 people needed food assistance. Guam suffered power outages, while the Northern Mariana Islands experienced smaller effects. No casualties were reported in the affected areas, and international assistance followed the storm.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Wutip in brief
What was Typhoon Wutip's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Feb 23, 2019, 10:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Wutip?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Feb 23, 2019, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Wutip's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Feb 23, 2019, 10:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Wutip occur?
The archived track runs from Feb 18, 2019, 12:00 PM UTC to Mar 2, 2019, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Feb 19, 2019, 12:00 AM UTC to Mar 2, 2019, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Wutip form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 2019 season. Its first archived position is 4.8°N, 162.6°E on Feb 18, 2019, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Wutip make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Wutip'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