Tropical Storm Bebinca (2018)

Tropical Storm Bebinca was a weak but erratic and long-lived tropical cyclone that affected South China and Vietnam in mid-August 2018. Bebinca originated from a tropical depression over the South China Sea on August 9. Maintaining this intensity for a few days near the Guangdong coast, the system finally intensified into a tropical storm south of Jiangmen on August 13. The storm moved slowly to the east and then curved back on the next day, before making landfall in the Leizhou Peninsula on August 15. Bebinca crossed the Gulf of Tonkin and made landfall in Vietnam on August 16, before dissipated on the next day.

Tropical Storm Bebinca
Tropical Storm Bebinca near peak intensity approaching Vietnam on August 16
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 9, 2018
DissipatedAugust 17, 2018
Tropical storm
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds85 km/h (50 mph)
Lowest pressure985 hPa (mbar); 29.09 inHg
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds110 km/h (70 mph)
Lowest pressure979 hPa (mbar); 28.91 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities19 total
Damage$391 million (2018 USD)
Areas affectedSouth China, Vietnam, Laos
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata

Part of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season

In China, 6 people were dead and the economic losses by the storm reached ¥2.31 billion (US$333 million).[1] In Vietnam, Bebinca killed 13 people. Moderate damage to agriculture and infrastructure were reported in Northern Vietnam, with heavy rains caused multiple landslides and blocked the road. Total damage in Vietnam were over 1.34 trillion (US$57.6 million).[2]

Meteorological history

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Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
  Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

Late on August 9, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began to monitor a tropical depression over the South China Sea.[3] The system generally moved northward slowly under a subtropical ridge,[4] and then turned to northeast on the next day.[5] Despite moving over warm waters, the depression remained poorly organized. It moved ashore near Hailing Island, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province at 10:35 a.m. CST on August 11 (02:35 UTC).[6] The depression made an anti-clockwise loop inland and moved back to the sea later that day.[7] The system moved slowly southeastward, because Yagi and Leepi in the northwestern Pacific prohibited the extension of the subtropical ridge, therefore the steering current remained weak for days in the South China Sea.[8] After moving back to the sea, the depression gained some organization, and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) finally classified it as a tropical depression and gave the numerical designation 20W on August 12.[9] After maintaining tropical depression status for more than 3 days, 20W finally intensified to a tropical storm and the JMA gave the international name Bebinca early on August 13.[10] Throughout that day, Bebinca's low-level circulation center (LLCC) was exposed because of moderate to strong easterly wind shear. Despite this, the JTWC upgraded the system to a tropical storm later that day.[11]

 
Tropical Depression 20W lingering south of Guangdong, China on August 12

Bebinca remained a sheared cyclone on August 14, while continued to slowly drifting to the east.[12] After Leepi made landfall in Japan and dissipated, the subtropical ridge can finally extend and build over China, and Bebinca began to curve back to the west.[7] Although wind shear remained strong on August 15, Bebinca still began to intensify as it was situated over very warm waters with 31 °C (88 °F), and the system was able to develop a central dense overcast.[13] Bebinca made its second landfall in Leizhou, Guangdong at 9:40 p.m. CST (13:40 UTC), and emerged to the Gulf of Tonkin about four hours later.[14] Once moving into the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, Bebinca began another intensification trend. This prompted the JMA to upgrade Bebinca to a severe tropical storm, but it was revoked in the post-storm analysis.[15] Bebinca weakened slightly before making its third and final landfall in Tĩnh Gia District, Thanh Hóa Province, Vietnam at 5:30 a.m. ICT on August 17 (22:30 UTC on August 16), with winds of 75 km/h (45 mph).[16] Bebinca weakened quickly once moving inland, and the JTWC issued its final warning early on August 17.[17] The JMA also downgraded Bebinca to a tropical depression,[18] and Bebinca dissipated later that day, over Laos.

Preparation and impacts

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China

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Shortly after the formation of Bebinca, the Hainan Meteorology Administration warned that the rainfall in parts of the Hainan Island peaked at 400 mm (16 in), with strong winds occurring in the Hainan Island and its nearby areas.[19] As Bebinca meandering near the Guangdong coast, the agency urged that the northern part of the island were still affected by the strong winds and heavy rainfall on August 12–13.[20]

Wind gusts of 77 km/h (48 mph) were recorded at Haikou. Due to the slow movement of Bebinca, Hainan Island was affected by extremely heavy rains. Rainfall in Haikou peaked at 936.8 mm (36.88 in) while rainfall in Lingao County were at 915.3 mm (36.04 in).[21] Throughout the country, 6 people were dead and the economic loss were at ¥2.31 billion (US$333 million).[1]

Hong Kong

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The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) issued the standby typhoon signal No. 1 at 5:15 p.m. HKT on August 9.[22] Because of the slow movement of Bebinca, the standby typhoon signal No. 1 was hoisted for more than four days, the second-longest in recorded history.[23] As Bebinca began to approach the Guangdong coast, the HKO raised the typhoon signal to No. 3 early on August 14.[24] The HKO has warned that low-lying areas may be prone to flooding or backflow of seawater because of storm surge, and that members of the public should stay away from the shoreline due to rough seas.[25]

Macau

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The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) issued the signal No. 1 at 5:00 p.m. MST on August 9.[26] As Bebinca began to approach the Zhujiang Delta, the SMG raised the signal to No. 3 early on August 11.[27] Similar to Hong Kong, due to the slow movement of the storm, the signal No. 3 remained hoisted for more than three days, until it was replaced by signal No. 8 late on August 14.[28] This broke the longest storm signal hoisted in recorded history.[29]

Vietnam

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Bebinca, known in Vietnam as Bão số 4 (Typhoon No. 4), made landfall over northern Vietnam early on August 17 in local time. The storm brought strong winds and heavy rains to the region, killing 10 people and 3 went missing. Besides, Bebinca damaged thousands of houses, causing moderate damage to agriculture. Heavy rains triggered numerous landslides and lead to some road accidents.[30] Damages in Nghệ An Province were at 1.341 trillion (US$57.6 million).[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b CMA (December 4, 2018). Member Report: China (PDF). ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee. pp. 1–2. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Tóm tắt các cơn bão trong năm 2018" (in Vietnamese). Government of Tuyen Quang province. January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "WWJP25 RJTD 091800". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 9, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  4. ^ "WWJP25 RJTD 100000". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "WWJP25 RJTD 101200". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "南海热带低压中心已在广东省阳江市海陵岛登陆" (in Simplified Chinese). Hainan Meteorology Administration. August 11, 2018. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  7. ^ a b 莊思寧 (August 17, 2018). "為生命旅程綁個蝴蝶結" (in Traditional Chinese). Hong Kong Observatory. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  8. ^ 陳珏明; 藍善婷 (August 14, 2018). "【貝碧嘉風球】海上迷走逾百小時 呢個飄忽颱風最終會吹到應?" (in Traditional Chinese). HK01. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  9. ^ "Tropical Depression 20W (Twenty) Warning Nr 1". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. August 12, 2018. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  10. ^ "Tropical Cyclone Information: TS 1816 (Bebinca) Issued at 01:15 UTC, 13 August 2018". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  11. ^ "Prognostic Reasoning for Tropical Storm 20W (Bebinca) Warning Nr 4". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. August 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  12. ^ 熱帶風暴貝碧嘉早上繼續靠近廣東西部沿岸. Facebook (Animation). Weather Underground of Hong Kong. August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  13. ^ "Prognostic Reasoning for Tropical Storm 20W (Bebinca) Warning Nr 15 CORRECTED". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. August 16, 2018. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  14. ^ ""贝碧嘉"已于15日夜间登陆广东雷州半岛 16日凌晨进入北部湾海面对海南影响减弱" (in Simplified Chinese). Hainan Meteorology Administration. August 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Tropical Cyclone Information: STS 1816 (Bebinca) Issued at 13:00 UTC, 16 August 2018". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  16. ^ Hoàng, Đan (August 17, 2018). "Bão số 4 đã đổ bộ vào đất liền, các khu vực Bắc Bộ, Bắc Trung Bộ tiếp tục mưa to". soha.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Tropical Cyclone Warning For Tropical Storm 20W (Bebinca) Nr 19". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. August 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 19, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  18. ^ "Tropical Cyclone Information: TD Issued at 07:10 UTC, 17 August 2018". Japan Meteorological Agency. August 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  19. ^ "南海热带低压已于9日08时生成 9~11日海南将有强风雨天气过程" (in Simplified Chinese). Hainan Meteorology Administration. August 9, 2018. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  20. ^ "热带低压未来24小时在广东西部近海徘徊 12日~13日琼岛东北部地区仍有较强风雨" (in Simplified Chinese). Hainan Meteorology Administration. August 11, 2018. Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  21. ^ ""贝碧嘉"16日下午起对琼岛影响结束 17~23日全岛转为多云天气局地有雷雨". Hainan Meteorology Administration. August 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  22. ^ Kao, Ernest (August 9, 2018). "No 1 typhoon standby signal issued as tropical depression edges its way towards Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  23. ^ Hui, Sophie (August 14, 2018). "Sluggish Bebinca keeps us all guessing". The Standard. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  24. ^ "HK Observatory raises typhoon signal 3 as Tropical Storm Bebinca edges towards Pearl River Delta". Young Post. August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  25. ^ Creery, Jennifer (August 14, 2018). "T3 signal raised as tropical cyclone Bebinca brings strong winds and showers to Hong Kong". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  26. ^ 梁舒婷; 黃偉鴻 (August 9, 2018). "本澳下午5時起懸掛1號風球" (in Traditional Chinese). TDM. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  27. ^ 李芬艷; 羅曉彬 (August 11, 2018). "氣象局懸掛3號風球 料將維持一段時間" (in Traditional Chinese). TDM. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  28. ^ "Signal No.8 to be effective at 7:30 pm". Macau Business. August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  29. ^ "Bebinca spares Macau – longest storm signal ever". Macau Post Daily. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  30. ^ Lâm, Nguyễn (August 20, 2018). "13 người chết và mất tích do bão số 4" (in Vietnamese). Báo Kinh Tế Đô Thị. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
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