This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: List needs tropical cyclones that also affected the Northern Mariana Islands.(February 2025) |
The Mariana Islands are a territory of the United States, located in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, consisting of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The Mariana Islands lie in the path of typhoons and it is common for the islands to be threatened by tropical depressions, storms, and occasional typhoons during the wet season. The highest risk of typhoons is from August through November. They can, however, occur year-round. This is a list of typhoons that caused deaths, injuries and/or damage on the Mariana Islands.
Typhoons are monitored by the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center and due to the potential damage typhoons can cause, the tropical cyclones are concerns towards civilian and military communities on the islands. [1] Some of the typhoons that had significantly impacted the islands between 1945 and 2025 were Typhoon Karen of 1962, Carmen of 1965, Pamela of 1976, Omar of 1992, Paka of 1997, Yutu of 2018. and Mawar of 2023.
The Mariana Islands are overseas territories of the United States. Being in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, the islands are often threatened by typhoons in a year-round basis. In preparations for the storms, the islands may be put under Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness, instructing residents towards safety based on the severity of the storm. [2] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center monitors the basin, and issues warnings on significant tropical cyclones for the United States Government, [3] assigning them two-digit TC numbers (with suffix "W"). [4] These warnings use a 1-minute sustained wind speed and can be compared to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale; however, the JTWC uses their own scale for intensity classifications in this basin. [5] The United States' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) unofficially classifies typhoons with wind speeds of at least 130 knots (150 mph; 240 km/h)—the equivalent of a strong Category 4 storm on the Saffir–Simpson scale—as super typhoons. [6]
Tropical cyclogenesis in the West Pacific commences over the summer monsoon trough. The trough peaks on October, before being dominated by winter trade winds by December. The islands are located east of the primary area for development. [1]
| Month | Number of Storms |
|---|---|
| January | |
| February | |
| March | |
| April | |
| May | |
| June | |
| July | |
| August | |
| September | |
| October | |
| November | |
| December |
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 666.8 | 26.25 | Champi 2015 | Tinian | [123] |
| 2 | 487.6 | 19.20 | Steve 1993 | Saipan | [124] |
| 3 | 241.3 | 9.50 | Seth 1991 | Saipan | [48] |
| 4 | 205.7 | 8.10 | Soulik 2006 | Pagan | [125] |
| 5 | 173.2 | 6.82 | Nabi 2005 | Saipan | [126] |
| 6 | 119.1 | 4.69 | Bavi 2015 | Tinian | [127] |
| 7 | 118.1 | 4.65 | Sanvu 2012 | Tinian | [128] |
| 8 | 90.9 | 3.58 | Kong-rey 2007 | Pagan | [129] |
| 9 | 85.8 | 3.38 | Mirinae 2009 | Rota | [130] |
| 10 | 82.5 | 3.25 | Melor 2009 | Tinian | [131] |
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 856.0 | 33.70 | Pamela 1976 | Guam WSMO | [132] |
| 2 | 846.8 | 33.34 | Alice 1953 | Andersen Air Force Base | [132] |
| 3 | 840.5 | 33.09 | Unnamed 1924 | Guam WSMO | [133] |
| 4 | 771.9 | 28.42 | Mawar 2023 | Dededo | [134] |
| 5 | 650.5 | 25.61 | Pongsona 2002 | University of Guam | [135] [136] |
| 6 | 610.4 | 24.03 | Tingting 2004 | Inarajan Agricultural Station | [132] |
| 7 | 539.5 | 21.24 | Paka 1997 | Guam WSMO | [132] |
| 8 | 533.0 | 21.00 | Chataan 2002 | South-central Guam | [137] |
| 9 | 519.2 | 20.44 | Omar 1992 | Guam WSMO | [132] |
| 10 | 423.9 | 16.69 | Halong 2014 | Andersen Air Force Base | [138] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)