Typhoon Lynn, more commonly known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pepang,[1] was a typhoon that was responsible for the worst flooding in Taiwan in 40years. Typhoon Lynn originated from an area of disturbed weather in the central north Pacific in mid-October1987. On October15, the system was upgraded into a tropical storm. Moving west-northwest, it slowly deepened over the next few days, though the intensification process briefly stopped on October15. Two days later, Lynn was upgraded into a typhoon, while passing northwest of Guam. Lynn maintained low-end typhoon strength until October19, when the storm began to rapidly intensify. On October21, Lynn attained its peak intensity while tracking towards the west. Weakening then commenced soon after Lynn interacted with Luzon. However, the core of the typhoon remained well offshore both the Philippines and Taiwan. On October25, Lynn weakened to a severe tropical storm. Three days later, it dissipated, though its remains later brought rain to China.
While passing near Guam, power was knocked out and 40residents were evacuated. Throughout the Mariana Islands, 15families were rendered homeless and damage totaled $2million (1987USD). After brushing Luzon, seven people perished, over 30,000homes were damaged, 100houses were destroyed, and 7,000individuals were left homeless. Damage in the Philippines totaled to $25.3million. Even though Lynn passed a bit south of Taiwan, the storm brought widespread damage to the nation. Nine children were swept away and killed on a field trip, while another 72survived and were evacuated. In Taipei, 13persons perished and 2,230people were rescued. Lynn was considered the worst tropical cyclone to affect the city in four decades. Nationwide, 168,000people lost power and 42casualties occurred.
Meteorological history
Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Typhoon Lynn originated from a broad, poorly organized area of convection situated within the monsoon trough roughly 370km (230mi) north-northeast of the Marshall Islands in the middle of October1987. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) started monitoring the system on October14,[2] and later that day, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) followed suit.[3][nb 1] Following an increase in convection and outflow, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) for the system at 0300UTC on October15 about 670km (415mi) north-northwest of Pohnpei of the eastern Carolina Islands at the time. Three hours later, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Storm Lynn based on Dvorak estimates of 65km/h (40mph).[2] At midday, the JMA followed suit and upgraded the system into a tropical storm.[3]
Tracking along the southern periphery of a subtropical ridge, the cyclone decelerated.[2] Lynn gradually intensified, though this process briefly halted on October17.[5][nb 2] Early the next day, the JMA reported that Lynn had deepened into a severe tropical storm.[3] Shortly thereafter, radar data and satellite imagery revealed the formation of an eye37km (23mi) in diameter, and thus the JTWC upgraded Lynn into a typhoon, though post-storm analysis noted that Lynn could have been a typhoon before then.[2] Also around this time, the JMA designated Lynn as a typhoon.[3] At midday, Lynn made its closest approach to Guam, passing around 150km (95mi) northeast of the island. Three hours later, Lynn passed 28km (17mi) southwest of Tinian before proceeding west-northwest.[2]
Lynn near the Philippines on October 23
After moving away from the Mariana Islands,[2] Lynn initially maintained its intensity, but on August 19,[3] it began to rapidly intensify. Later that day, the JTWC upgraded Lynn to a super typhoon[2] and early on August20, Typhoon Lynn attained winds of 185km/h (115mph) according to the JMA.[3] After leveling off in intensity for roughly 24hours, the JMA estimates that Lynn reached its peak intensity of 195km/h (120mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 920mbar (27inHg).[3] At 0000UTC on August21, the JTWC indicated that Lynn reached its peak intensity of 255km/h (160mph), equivalent to a Category5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. According to the JTWC, Typhoon Lynn was the third typhoon in 1987 to attain such intensity.[2] Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local namePepang.[1]
Shortly after attaining maximum intensity, Lynn began to track westward while steadily weakening. Initially, the JTWC predicted Lynn to take a more west-northwesterly course, but the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) correctly predicted Lynn to move due west due to a subtropical ridge situated north of the cyclone.[2] On October22, the JMA indicated that Lynn leveled off in intensity, though at 0000UTC on October23, the cyclone deteriorated slightly. Roughly 24hours later, the JMA reduced the intensity of Lynn to 145km/h (90mph);[3] by this time, the typhoon entered the Luzon Straits. Over the next two days, Lynn interacted with mountainous terrain of the Philippines; however, at its closest approach, the core of the system remained over 200km (120mi) offshore.[2] Meanwhile, the weakening process accelerated, and on October25, the JMA reported that Lynn was no longer a typhoon.[3] Furthermore, the storm exited PAGASA's warning zone.[7] Increased wind shear took toll on Lynn, and the next day, satellite imagery indicated that all of the storm's deep convection was confined north-northeast of the center. At 0000UTC on October27, the JTWC ceased watching the system,[2] though the JMA continued tracking it until the morning of August 28.[3] The remnants of the storm later brought showers to China.[2]
Impact
Wettest tropical cyclones and their remnants in Taiwan Highest-known totals
Although the eye of Lynn passed just offshore Guam, it brought violent conditions to the island. There, a maximum sustained wind speed of 67km/h (42mph) and a peak wind gust of 105km/h (65mph) was recorded in Agana. Moreover, 154.4mm (6.08in) of rain fell at a nearby air force base.[2] Power was briefly knocked out for the entire island,[17] though by October20, electricity had been restored to most of the island.[18] Around 40residents were evacuated to shelter along low-lying areas.[19] Several homes sustained serious damages while many others suffered roof damage.[20] The banana and papaya crops were largely destroyed by the typhoon,[21] but damage to other crops was minimal.[18] No one in Guam was injured by Lynn.[22]
After passing near Saipan, winds of 80km/h (50mph) and gusts of 121km/h (75mph) were observed. All commercial flights to and from the island, as well as all schools and government offices, were cancelled on both October19 and 20. Both Saipan and Rota experienced island-wide power outages on the evening of October18.[2] Saipan bore the most significant effects from the cyclone; four people were hurt and two homes were destroyed. Several homes and office buildings on the island were also damaged.[23] Elsewhere, around 10families fled to shelter as a result of strong winds.[19] Although damage in Rota was minor,[20] the island of Tinian received considerable damage and all of the island's 2,000residents were briefly left without electricity. Heavy rains resulted in flooding that destroyed several dwellings and deluged many more.[24]
Throughout the Mariana Islands, agriculture damage was estimated at $2million (1987USD) and 15families were displaced from their homes. Roughly 100people sought help from the Red Cross.[18] A few weeks later, the Northern Marianas Islands were declared a major disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).[25]
Philippines
On October23, most of Luzon was placed under weather alerts.[26] Due to the threat of both storm surge and high waves, low-lying residents were advised to evacuate their homes.[27] A total of five towns were flooded in Cagayan and Ilocos Norte provinces, while Lynn triggered landslides in Benguet. In the mountain resort of Baguio City, communication and power lines sustained damage and many roads outside of Manila were destroyed; over 200homes were damaged[28] and 100others were demolished.[29] Nationwide, 79people were hurt and 31,557homes were partially damaged,[1] while 18,396were "totally" damaged.[7] Furthermore, around 6,000were rendered homeless and seven fatalities occurred.[30] Damage totaled $25.3million, mostly due to public infrastructure and agriculture.[1][nb 3]
Taiwan
In preparation for Lynn, typhoon warnings were issued.[31] Despite not striking the country directly, Typhoon Lynn brought torrential rains to much of the island from October 24–26, including a maximum of 1,700mm (67in) in Taipei.[2] Two fourth graders and seven third graders were swept out to sea due to 20ft (6.1m) waves while on a field trip in Maopitou, a scenic spot in Kenting National Park.[32] However, on October24, the bodies of two girls and a boy were found near Hengchun while the remaining were presumed dead.[33] The other 72students on the trip were safely evacuated.[34] Elsewhere, a 31-year-old man was killed due to falling debris in Hualien.[35] Two people were killed[36] and four others were buried in Keelung,[30] where several cargo containers were swept offshore.[36] Damage in Keelung totaled $5million. In Pingtung, 30,000houses were flooded.[30] Across northern Taiwan, nine people were killed.[36] In Taipei, torrential rains deluged the city and resulted in landslides that destroyed numerous dwellings and took 13lives. Citywide, 2,230people were rescued by police, while after supply in the capital was cut by 75%. In all, Lynn was considered the worst system to affect Taipei in 40years.[36]
Throughout the island, domestic flights and train service was cancelled. At the northern port of Ilan, about 60fishing boats were lost.[29] Three fishermen were rescued after their boat capsized.[37] A total of 168,000people lost power at some point during the storm's passage, though by October 27 power was restored to all but 88,000. Overall, 42people were killed nationwide.[30]
123456789101112131415Joint Typhoon Warning Center; Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (1988). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1987(PDF) (Report). United States Navy, United States Air Force. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 21, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
↑Kenneth R. Knapp; Michael C. Kruk; David H. Levinson; Howard J. Diamond; Charles J. Neumann (2010). 1987 LYNN (1987288N13168). The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS): Unifying tropical cyclone best track data (Report). Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
12Central Weather Bureau (2010). "侵台颱風資料庫". Retrieved October 19, 2011.
↑Unattributed (September 9, 2009). "莫拉克颱風暴雨量及洪流量分析"(PDF). Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Republic of China. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
↑Unattributed (September 9, 2009). "莫拉克颱風暴雨量及洪流量分析"(PDF). Water Resources Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Republic of China. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
↑"113山陀兒颱風". 水利災害應變學習中心 (in Chinese). 經濟部水利署. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
↑Joint Typhoon Warning Center; Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (1988). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1987(PDF) (Report). United States Navy, United States Air Force. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
↑Wind estimates from the JMA and most other basins throughout the world are sustained over 10minutes, while estimates from the United States-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center are sustained over 1minute. 10minute winds are about 1.14 times the amount of 1minute winds.[6]
↑All Philippine currencies are converted to United States Dollars using Philippines Measuring worth with an exchange rate of the year 1987.
