Typhoon Pabuk (2001)

Typhoon Pabuk was a high-end Category 2 typhoon that struck Japan in mid-August 2001. As the tenth named storm and the fifth typhoon of the 2001 Pacific typhoon season, it originated from a tropical depression to the north-northwest of Saipan. It began to develop rapidly, so the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert. The same agency began to issue advisories on the system; thereafter, the depression was designated 14W. Every agency upgraded the depression to a tropical storm, gaining the name Pabuk from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Pabuk gradually intensified as it moved northwestward, getting upgraded to a typhoon by the JTWC on August 15, with the JMA following suit not too long after. By August 17, Pabuk briefly reached its initial peak strength as a low-end Category 2 typhoon before slowly weakening. The following day, Pabuk began to re-intensify. Pabuk also began to form an eye. By August 19, Pabuk reached its second peak intensity with 1-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph). Pabuk grew in size, and its eye became irregular, hinting on a weakening trend while moving north northeastward. Pabuk weakened to tropical storm intensity when it hit the southern coast of Japan, south of Osaka, on August 21. On August 22, both the JMA and the JTWC issued their final advisories after Pabuk became extratropical. The name Pabuk was submitted by Laos and refers to the Mekong giant catfish. Pabuk brought heavy rain to Japan and damaged fields. Pabuk caused 8 fatalities and caused $421 million (2001 USD) in damages.