| Severe tropical storm (JMA) | |
|---|---|
| Tropical storm (SSHS) | |
| Kammuri near peak intensity | |
| Formed | August 2, 2002 |
| Dissipated | August 5, 2002 |
| Highest winds | 10-minute sustained: 100 km/h (65 mph) 1-minute sustained: 95 km/h (60 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 987 mbar (hPa; 29.15 inHg) |
| Fatalities | 107 direct |
| Damage | $539.7 million (2002 USD) |
| Areas affected | Taiwan, China |
| Part of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season | |
Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri (international designation: 0212, JTWC designation: 16W, designated Tropical Storm Lagalag by PAGASA and sometimes known as just Tropical Storm Kammuri)[1][2] was the sixteenth tropical cyclone and twelfth named storm of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season. Kammuri was a name contributed by Japan which means 'crown'. Lagalag was a Filipino name and an adjective meaning 'wandering', or 'roving'.
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The formative stage of Kammuri traces back to a large monsoon gyre east of Luzon in late July and early August. The disturbance was first spotted early on August 2 as an area of convection which had persisted approximately 270 nautical miles (500 km) west of Luzon in the South China Sea. The system was upgraded to Tropical Depression 16W six hours later as it tracked west-northwestward at 7 knots (13 km/h). The system turned northward early the next morning under the influence of a low to mid-level ridge over the East China Sea. 16W accelerated to 13 knots (24 km/h) while turning back to the west at around midday as it became less influenced by the southwesterly monsoon flow. The system was consolidating, and by the evening of the 3rd, the cyclone was upgraded to a tropical storm and assigned the name Kammuri.
On August 4, Kammuri was moving westward at 4 knots (7.4 km/h). Soon afterwards, a surge in the southwest monsoon was pushing Kammuri on an east-northeast heading by this time and the cyclone started to lift out of the monsoon trough. Gradually turning to the north, the tropical cyclone approached the Chinese coast. Kammuri reached a peak intensity of 60 mph (95 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 987 mbar, and made landfall that day with the same intensity at 2200 UTC, just east of Shanwei.[3] The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) recorded a pressure of 990.1 mbar (hPa) around the time of landfall.[4] The storm began to accelerate ahead of an approaching mid-latitude low-pressure system and was downgraded to a tropical depression on the 5th as it moved farther inland. The surface cyclone dissipated over the mountainous coastline of eastern China and its remnants linked up with a cold front by the end of the day.
The HKO issued a Standby Signal No. 1 for Hong Kong early on August 3, when the center of Tropical Storm Kammuri was 390 km away from the Observatory. That signal was the first signal issued by the HKO so far that year. The warning was later cancelled on August 5 since the storm had made landfall and was beginning to dissipate. Over 50 flights were either delayed or cancelled at a Guangzhou airport because of the heavy rain.[4] Shantou International Airport cancelled or delayed ten flights and was closed for over four hours on the 5th for the same reason.[5] After Kammuri dissipated, an Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal was issued early on the 6th due to the threat of damage from the heavy rainfall from the remnants of the cyclone.[4]
A total of 107 deaths occurred as a result of Kammuri's passage, with most of the damage and casualties in southern China due to the rain-induced flooding caused by the combination of a cold front and the remnants of the tropical cyclone. Flood damage destroyed crops, bridges, tunnels and power lines. The storm, accompanied by torrential rains, ripped through the coastal cities of Shanwei, Shantou, and Lufeng in the eastern part of Guangdong Province, causing extensive damage. A great deal of crop land was flooded, and many bridges, tunnels and power lines were destroyed. Electricity supplies in some of the storm-hit areas were also cut off. Ten people were killed from flash floods caused by the cyclone in Meizhou, Guangdong, which also left at least 15 people injured and another 23 or more missing. The damage hundreds of homes in Guangdong were inflicted with left approximately 1,500 people temporarily homeless.[4] Also in the province, two dams broke and damaged around 412 villages.[6] In Shantou, two people were electrocuted when they were repairing power facilities amid heavy rain. Torrential rains caused 28 deaths in Guangdong while four deaths were reported in Quanzhou. In Hunan Province, the death toll reached 75 persons. Direct economic losses are estimated at 4.219 billion yuan ($539.69 million 2002 USD, with December 16, 2006 exchange rates). The reported number of collapsed houses was 20,182.
In Fujian province, Yongchun measured 284.3 mm of rainfall, which was a daily record for the station. Hongwuyi, in Yongchun County, reported 315 mm during the same period- which was the highest daily amount in the history of that station as well. Taiwan received 325 mm of rain at Tung Ho, in Taitung county in 27 hours. A station in Cheng Kung, Taiwan, recorded a daily amount of 591 mm on August 5 (local time), the highest amount of rainfall ever recorded there. A drought that had been affecting Guangdong for most of the year was greatly reduced after all the heavy rain brought to the province.[5]
The active southwesterly winds associated with the remnant of Kammuri brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to Hong Kong on August 6. More than 200 mm of rainfall was recorded over Kwai Chung and Sha Tin that day.[4]
Many residents of flooded cities in Guangdong were helped by a relief group sent out by the province's government to rebuild damage or destroyed homes.[5]