Typhoon Herb

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Typhoon Herb
Type=Typhoon
Year=1996
Basin=WPac
Image location=Typhoon Herb.gif


Formed=July 21, 1996
Dissipated=August 3, 1996
1-min winds=140
10-min winds=95
Pressure=925
Da

Inflated=0
Fatalities=590 direct
Areas=Ryūkyū Islands, Taiwan, People's Republic of China
Hurricane season=1996 Pacific typhoon season

Super Typhoon Herb (T9609 in Japan, T9608/賀伯 in Taiwan) was the strongest and the largest storm of 1996. Herb struck Ryūkyū Islands, Taiwan and People's Republic of China and caused a major damage there. The Western Pacific name list was renewed in 1996 and the name Herb was used for the first time in 1996. This name wasn't retired in the Western Pacific after 1996. But the Western Pacific name list was replaced from English to Asian in 2000, so this name was used only once as a result. (This name was never used in the Atlantic Ocean nor the Eastern Pacific.)

Meteorological history

The active monsoon trough that spawned Typhoons Frankie (08W) and Gloria (09W) consolidated into a third area well east of the other two to develop Tropical Depression 10W near Saipan on July 23. It moved northward at first, then westward in response to the subtropical ridge to its north. Tropical Depression 10W was upgraded to Tropical Storm Herb on July 24. Tropical Storm Herb moved west and strengthened to Typhoon Herb on July 25 and 48 hours later he reached Category 4 (125 knot). Herb also grew his size. But an interaction with Typhoon Gloria (so-called "Fujiwhara effect") occurred and Herb was downgraded to 115 knot. After that, Herb began to intensify again, and became a Category 5 super typhoon (140 knot) on July 30. Herb also became a very large typhoon: the largest typhoon in July and the 8th largest typhoon since 1977.

Herb struck Ryūkyū Islands and made a landfall in northern Taiwan as a Category 4 Super Typhoon (130 knots) on July 31. After a landfall in Taiwan, Herb weakened and made a landfall in Mainland China as a strong Category 2. Herb rapidly weakened over the country, and dissipated on August 3.

Impact

In Taiwan and Mainland China, heavy rain from Herb caused flooding and major damage. In Taiwan, at least 51 people were killed and 22 people missing. In Mainland China, at least 233 people were killed and 284 people missing.

ee also

*List of tropical cyclones

External links

* Typhoon Herb's track: http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1996/10/track.gif
* [http://photino.cwb.gov.tw/tyweb/typhoon_eye/alltyphoon/1996herb.htm 1996 HERB]
* [http://www.cwb.gov.tw/index.htm Taiwan Central Weather Bureau]
* [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.html Joint Typhoon Warning Center] ( [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/1996atcr/pdf/wnp/10w.pdf JTWC Typhoon Herb Report] )
* [http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/digital-typhoon/summary/wnp/s/199609.html.en Digital Typhoon page on Herb]