This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Typhoon Wipha | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wipha |
| Type | Typhoon |
| Year | 2007 |
| Basin | WPac |
| Formed | October 14, 2007 |
| Dissipated | October 20, 2007 |
| 10-min winds | 95 |
| 1-min winds | 130 |
| Pressure | 925 |
| Fatalities | 16 |
| Areas | Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Honshu |
| Damages | $1.2 billion (2007 USD) |
Typhoon Wipha was a powerful northwest Pacific tropical cyclone that struck parts of the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan in October 2007. Developed from a monsoon trough influenced by the Intertropical Convergence Zone and Western Pacific, it intensified into a super typhoon before recurving toward the Ryukyu Islands and making landfall on Honshu. The storm caused widespread flooding, wind damage, and disruptions to transportation and energy infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions.
Wipha originated from a disturbance embedded in the monsoon trough near the Mariana Islands and the Philippine Sea on October 14, 2007, as noted by the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Interaction with a subtropical ridge linked to the Pacific subtropical high and the poleward flow from a mid-latitude trough near the Aleutian Islands steered the cyclone northwestward toward the Ryukyu Islands and the East China Sea. Rapid intensification occurred under low vertical wind shear and high sea surface temperatures associated with the Kuroshio Current, producing a well-defined eye and peak winds assessed by the JMA and JTWC. An approaching mid-latitude trough and increasing shear forced recurvature toward Honshu and weakening prior to landfall; post-tropical transition followed as the system merged with a cold front moving from the Sea of Japan toward the North Pacific.
Authorities in the Philippines and Taiwan issued tropical cyclone signals through the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and the Central Weather Administration (Taiwan), while the Japan Meteorological Agency raised warnings for the Ryukyu Islands and Honshu. Evacuations were ordered by local governments in Okinawa Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, coordinated with prefectural disaster management offices and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (Japan). Airlines including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways canceled flights at Narita International Airport and regional airports; JR East suspended rail services on lines serving coastal areas. Ports and fishing fleets in Ishikawa Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture sought shelter, guided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism advisories, while electric utilities such as Tokyo Electric Power Company implemented precautionary measures.
Wipha brought destructive winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge across multiple countries. In the Philippines, outer rainbands produced floods in provinces such as Cagayan and Isabela, affecting agriculture and transport and prompting response by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Taiwan experienced mountain-induced enhancement of precipitation over Taipei and Hualien County, causing landslides and localized power outages; the Taiwan Power Company reported disruptions. The greatest damages occurred in Japan, where sustained typhoon-force winds and torrential rain impacted the Kanto region, Kansai, and parts of Tohoku. Urban flooding affected Tokyo, while widespread cancellations and evacuations occurred in Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture. Infrastructure failures included collapsed roofs, damaged levees on the Arakawa River, and blackout areas served by Chubu Electric Power. Transportation impacts were severe: major disruption to services by East Japan Railway Company, grounding of international flights at Haneda Airport, and suspension of ferry routes to the Izu Islands. Commercial losses affected retailers such as Seven & i Holdings and manufacturers with facilities in Saitama Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture. Fatalities and injuries were reported, and recovery costs were later estimated by prefectural governments and the Cabinet Office (Japan).
Post-storm response mobilized municipal and national agencies, including the Self-Defense Forces (Japan) assisting search and recovery operations, and disaster relief teams dispatched by the Red Cross Society of China and the Japanese Red Cross Society. Temporary shelters were established in gymnasiums managed by local boards of education in affected municipalities; emergency supplies were coordinated through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Restoration of electricity and transport prioritized networks operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company and Nippon Express logistics hubs, while insurance payouts were processed by firms such as Sompo Japan Insurance and Tokio Marine. Debris removal, levee repairs along the Tone River, and infrastructure retrofitting programs received funding approvals from the Diet of Japan and prefectural assemblies. International aid remained limited as domestic resources covered most relief, and reconstruction plans incorporated lessons into regional disaster mitigation strategies overseen by the Cabinet Office (Japan) and the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The name assigned to the storm was contributed by Vietnam to the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee list of names used in the western North Pacific. Wipha reached super typhoon intensity according to JTWC classifications, with central pressures and wind estimates noted by the Japan Meteorological Agency in its seasonal summaries. The event entered national disaster statistics compiled by agencies including the EM-DAT database and influenced subsequent updates to building codes administered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and urban flood management policies in the Kanto region. Comparative analyses referenced earlier storms such as Typhoon Mireille (1991), Typhoon Maemi (2003), and Typhoon Tokage (2004) in academic studies by institutions like the University of Tokyo and the Meteorological Research Institute.
2007 Pacific typhoon season, Typhoon Faxai, Typhoon Hagibis, Typhoon Mireille (1991), Typhoon Maemi (2003), Japan Meteorological Agency, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee, Self-Defense Forces (Japan), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Category:2007 Pacific typhoon season