Typhoon Saola (2023)
Pacific typhoon in 2023 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Typhoon Saola, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Goring, was a powerful and erratic tropical cyclone that affected the Philippines, southern Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and South China. The name Saola, is in reference to a rare animal found in Vietnam. The ninth named storm, seventh typhoon, and third super typhoon[lower-alpha 1] of the 2023 typhoon season, Saola originated from an area of convection east of Taiwan and headed southwestwards.
Meteorological history | |
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Formed | August 22, 2023 (2023-08-22) |
Dissipated | September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) |
Violent typhoon | |
10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
Highest winds | 195 km/h (120 mph) |
Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg |
Category 4-equivalent super typhoon | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
Highest winds | 250 km/h (155 mph) |
Lowest pressure | 921 hPa (mbar); 27.20 inHg |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 3 |
Injuries | 87 |
Missing | 1 |
Damage | $673 million (2023 USD) |
Areas affected |
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IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2023 Pacific typhoon season |
Saola then begin in a process of rapid intensification while making a looping trend. Although it did not make a direct landfall over Luzon, Saola made the closer pass into Central Luzon as a Category 4 equivalent typhoon, bringing gusty winds and heavy rains over the country. It weakened back to a Category 2-typhoon on September 1. After it executed a south-southeastward turn, Saola went again in an explosive intensification, regenerated back as a Category 4 as it passes over Batanes and left PAR on August 31 still as a super typhoon.
Prior to the approach of Saola, HKO raised the highest signal category in anticipation of the storm, the first time in 5 years since Mangkhut of 2018. The storm continued to approach closely over Hong Kong and Macau, battering with strong gusty winds and heavy rains over the area before weakening and making landfall over Southern China.