Four typhoons aligned in the Western Pacific

Nov. 14 () –

In an unusual weather scenariofour typhoons have activated simultaneously in the western Pacific Ocean in November 2024.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that it was the first time since records began in 1951 that so many storms coexisted in the Pacific basin in November.

The typhoon season in the western Pacific is year-round, but most storms form between May and October. Three named storms normally form in November, and one of them becomes a super typhoon, according to the average for the period 1991-2000, NASA reports.

At 12:55 UTC on November 11, NASA’s EPIC (Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera) imaging sensor on the DSCOVR (Deep Space Climate Observatory) satellite observed the storms, named Yinxing, Toraji, Usagi and Man-Yi, visible in the image above. At the time of the image, The storms were approaching the Philippines or had already passed over the islands and surrounding areas.

Approximately 40 minutes before the image was acquired, Typhoon Toraji (known locally as Nika) made landfall on the northeastern side of the Philippine main island of Luzon. The storm unleashed flooding and caused power outages in the province of Aurora. Rain-induced landslides buried roads in the mountain range. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the storm reached its maximum intensity the night before, with sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour.

To the west, Typhoon Yinxing (known locally as Marce) hit the Philippines on November 7, four days before this image. On the day it made landfall in northern Luzon, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that the storm had sustained winds of 240 kilometers per hourwhich made it a super typhoon, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm then weakened before hitting Vietnam and dissipating on November 12.

Typhoon Usagi (locally known as Ofel) is forecast to become the 15th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippine archipelago this year, closely tracking Toraji. On the day of the image, Usagi was a tropical storm that then rapidly intensified into a super typhoon. At 18:00 UTC on November 13, Usagi had winds of around 240 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane. It was forecast to hit the islands later that day.

To the east, Man-Yi was a tropical storm with sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour at the time of this image. The JTWC forecast that the storm is likely to intensify into a typhoon and make landfall in the Philippines on November 17.

The Philippines has borne the brunt of typhoon activity in the Pacific this year. Past storms include Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-Rey, which caused deadly flooding and landslides in Luzon in late October.