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Typhoon Pongsona
Typhoon Pongsona near peak intensity on December 8
Meteorological history
Formed
December 2, 2002
Extratropical
December 11, 2002
Dissipated
December 12, 2002
Very strong typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds
165 km/h (105 mph)
Lowest pressure
940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg
Category 4-equivalent super typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds
240 km/h (150 mph)
Lowest pressure
910 hPa (mbar); 26.87 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities
1 indirect
Damage
$730 million (2002 USD)
Areas affected
Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
IBTrACS
Part of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Pongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second costliest United States disaster in 2002, only behind Hurricane Lili.[1] The name "Pongsona" was contributed by North Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclone list and is the Korean name for the garden balsam.[2] Pongsona developed out of an area of disturbed weather on December 2, and steadily intensified to reach typhoon status on December 5. On December 8 it passed through Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands while at peak intensity, with 10-minute sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph). It ultimately turned to the northeast, weakened, and became extratropical on December 11.
Typhoon Pongsona produced strong wind gusts peaking at 285 km/h (175 mph), which left the entire island of Guam without power and destroyed about 1,300 houses. With strong building standards and experience from repeated typhoon strikes, there were no fatalities directly related to Pongsona, although there was one indirect death from flying glass. Damage on the island totaled over $730 million (2002 USD, $1.24 billion 2024 USD), making Pongsona among the five costliest typhoons on the island. The typhoon also caused extreme damage on Rota and elsewhere in the Northern Mariana Islands, and as a result of its impact the name was retired.
^Federal Emergency Management Agency (2003). "Super Typhoon Pongsona: The First 100 Days Over $300 Million In Disaster Relief And Assistance". Retrieved 2013-01-02.
^Gary Padgett (2003). "Tropical Cyclone Summary for December 2002". Retrieved 2006-07-19.
TyphoonPongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second costliest United States disaster in 2002, only behind Hurricane...
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heavy rain marking as the strongest storm to affect the island since TyphoonPongsona in 2002. U.S. President Joe Biden declared Guam a major disaster area...
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"Event Report for TyphoonPongsona". Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2006-10-10. Hong Kong Observatory (2003). "Typhoon Imbudo (0307) :...
2015-03-31. Retrieved 2012-06-20. Alt URL John J. Kelly Jr. (2003). "Super TyphoonPongsona Service Assessment" (PDF). United States Department of Commerce. Archived...
It replaced "Pongsona" after the 2002 Pacific typhoon season. Tropical Storm Noul (2008) (T0821, 26W, Tonyo) - affected Vietnam Typhoon Noul (2015) (T1506...
deaths because of strict building standards. Pongsona was the most damaging typhoon on Guam since Typhoon Paka in 1997. The rapid proliferation of the...
Guam, A Natural History. The Bess Press. ISBN 9781573060677. Super TyphoonPongsona Service Assessment (PDF) (Report). National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
The following is a list of Pacific typhoon seasons. The typhoon seasons are limited to the north of the equator between the 100th meridian east and the...
January 1999 and December 2002. (It was never revived after Super TyphoonPongsona.) The merger with Sorensen allowed KTGM to share resources with Sorensen's...
restaurant, Terraza Dos Amantes, operates on the site. In 2002, Super TyphoonPongsona damaged and toppled the metal statue of the two lovers at the site...
original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2010. FEMA (2003). "Super TyphoonPongsona Assistance Surpasses Paka Totals". Archived from the original on 9...
sailors from Frank Cable, participated in post-typhoon recovery actions. On 8 December 2002 Super-typhoonPongsona struck Guam for a period of over 12 hours...
September 20, 1991. The station's original tower was toppled by Super TyphoonPongsona in 2002; sailors from the USS Frank Cable helped to remove it. In 2019...
Lou Leon Guerrero. On December 8, 2002, Guam was slammed by Super TyphoonPongsona, shortly after Camacho and Moylan were elected into office. They opted...
Adelup. It operated here until 2002, when it was damaged by Typhoon Chataan and TyphoonPongsona, and forced to close. In March 2010, the 80 feet (24 m)-tall...
ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. The names Matmo, Nuri, Noul and Dolphin were used for the first time as it was replaced from Chataan, Rusa, Pongsona and Yanyan...
debris removal and rebuilding public buildings. In December 2002, TyphoonPongsona struck Guam and caused additional flooding and damage. On August 7...
P; Chiu, Arthur (April 2003). "Meteorological Assessment for Super TyphoonPongsona at Landfall on Guam — December 8, 2002" (PDF). American Meteorological...
jet fuel tanks at the Port that were burning out of control due to TyphoonPongsona, 2002 Location Country United States Location Apra Harbor, Pacific...
a total number of 579 individuals in 2001, zero individuals after TyphoonPongsona swept the area in 2002, and a total of about 20 individuals, including...
and landslides in American Samoa, Super TyphoonPongsona in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, Super Typhoon Lupit in the Philippines and Federated...
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