| Category 5 Super Typhoon | ||
|---|---|---|
 Typhoon Linfa during peak strength and nearing landfall in the Philippines. |
||
| Formed | July 15 | |
| Dissipated | July 22 | |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy | 81.3 units | |
| Highest winds | 305 km/h (190 mph) (1=min sustained) | |
| Lowest pressure | 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg) | |
| Damages | $19 billion USD | |
| Direct Fatalities | 16 | |
| Indirect Fatalities | 29 | |
| Missing | 8 | |
| Areas affected | Southern Luzon, Central Luzon, Philippines, Metro Manila | |
| Part of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season | ||
Typhoon Linfa (known in the Philippines as Typhoon Hanna) was the costliest pacific typhoon in recorded history. It swept through the Philippines during mid-July, causing havoc and destruction. Luckily, not many deaths occured because of the emergency preperation. The worst affected areas were Southern Tagalog in the Philippines Archipelago. Typhoon Linfa also strengthened in an unbelievably little time. Although only 200 deaths occured, a Typhoid Fever outbreak occured in Quezon province. Fortunately, the disease only killed around 50 and only lasted a few weeks.
Meteorological History[]
Typhoon Linfa formed from an Intertropical Convergence Zone 143 miles northeast of Puerto Princesa, Philippines. Emerging into favorable conditions, the ITCZ further developed into a Tropical Depression ad PAGASA names it Hanna. Tropical Depression Hanna strengthens the southwest monsoon, bringing rainfall at the Southern Tip of Palawan. On July 16, JTWC declares that Tropical Depression Hanna has strengthened into a Tropical Storm, attaining the name Linfa. Tropical Storm Linfa makes a slight curve into the north. JTWC and PAGASA forecasted Tropical Storm Linfa to make landfall at Central Luzon as a minimal typhoon. However, a sudden through pushes Linfa to the south. On July 17, JTWC upgraded Linfa into a typhoon. By this time, PAGASA advised people in Southern Luzon to evacuate, because Linfa is forecasted to make landfall in Mabini, Batangas as a Category 3 typhoon, slightly weaker than Typhoon Rammasun a year earlier. In only almost six hours, Typhoon Linfa explosively strengthened into a Category 4 typhoon and developed an eye, and only in a few hours, the eye displayed a stadium effect.
After almost another six hours of explosively intensifying, Typhoon Linfa has become a Category 5 typhoon. In most parts of Batangas, every person has evacuated, and a news reporter described a town as a "ghost town". Southern Luzon is prepared for the impact, and Linfa's inner rainbands has already brought damage to some provinces. Classes all over Luzon were cancelled, and the same goes for offices.
Just before midday on July 20, the real fury of the storm came as the storm moved ashore. Millions of homes were damaged. Trees and telephone poles were downed. A 13 foot storm surged occured, and some eyewitnesses described it as "worse as Haiyan". Rice and banana crops were damaged. A very big telephone pole was downed by the storm in Rizal, crushing about a hundred homes and killing 3.
The storm was merciless. The aftermath was even worse than Typhoon Haiyan. Debris were everywhere, and a building in Metro Manila was reduced to rubble. Mayon Volcano in the Bicol region caused a lahar flow, damaging more and more establishments. In Mabini where the storm moved ashore, there was a high storm surge, but surprisingly it only killed 1 person.
The storm weakened as it passed on Central Luzon, and finally was downgraded into a remnant low on July 22.
Typhoon Linfa (Hanna)'s track across the Philippine Archipelago
Damage and Deaths[]
Most of the damages occured in Southern Luzon while most of the deaths were caused by a lahar flow in Mayon. Two airplanes almost crashed at the height of the storm at Baguio, but because of quick thinking only 2 deaths happened. There were surprisingly low number of deaths from this storm because of preperations and drills. A passenger ferry capsized at a port in Batangas City, but no one died.
After the storm, a Typhoid Fever outbreak occured at Quezon province. It was treated after it started for 2 weeks and only 47 fatalities happened.
Retirement[]
Because of the damages it caused, the name Hanna was removed from the auxiliary rotating list of PAGASA. It was replaced with Holly. The name Linfa was also removed due to unknown reasons and was replaced with Suika, which means "Watermelon" in Japanese.