Tropical Storm Vicente (2005)

Tropical Storm Vicente
Vicente on 17 September
Meteorological history
Formed16 September 2005
Dissipated18 September 2005
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 winds95 km/h (60 mph)
Lowest pressure989 hPa (mbar); 29.21 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities22 direct
Damage$3.48 million (2005 USD)
Areas affected
IBTrACS

Part of the 2005 Pacific typhoon season

Tropical Storm Vicente was a short-lived but deadly tropical storm which caused severe flooding in Vietnam and Thailand in September 2005.

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
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

Tropical Depression 16W formed 205 nautical miles (380 km) east-southeast of Dong Tac Airport, Vietnam on the morning of 16 September. It reached tropical storm strength overnight local time and was named Vicente, a Chamorro male name. Shortly after forming, Vicente interacted with a tropical disturbance west of Luzon and made a cyclonic loop. Vicente then absorbed the disturbance before passing just south of Hainan Island. Eventually, Vicente made landfall on the Vietnam coast northwest of Huế on 18 September and gradually dissipated.[1]

Preparations

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China

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On 17 September, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a standby signal No.1 as the outer bands of Vicente brought showers and thunderstorms to Hong Kong. The signal was dropped the next day as the storm moved away from Hong Kong. Red flags were hoisted at numerous beaches due to the rough seas.[2]

Vietnam

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Ahead of the storm, about 9,000 residents evacuated inland while others worked to protect the thousands of dykes along the shore.[3]

Thailand

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In anticipation of severe flooding in the capital city of Bangkok, about 2,000 water pumps and 1.7 million sandbags were deployed to prevent significant flooding and to minimize the flooding from nearby rivers. Large forklift trucks were sent to ten stations set up around the city to assist any large trucks which might run into trouble during the storm. An additional 130 smaller forklifts were provided to assist smaller vehicles.[4] A total of seven million sandbags were stockpiled for use around the country.[5]

Impact

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China

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Tropical Storm Vicente brought showers and thunderstorms to southern China but had little impact. Rough seas produced by the storm caused the drownings of two swimmers in Ham Tin Wan of Sai Kung. The lowest pressure recorded was 1010.4 hPa (mbar) on September 17.[2] The rough seas also led to a Chinese ship striking a reef. All 17 crew members were rescued.[1]

Vietnam

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Vicente dropped heavy rains throughout Vietnam, notably peaking at 310 mm (12.2 in) in Sơn La, 198 mm (7.7 in) in Tam Đảo District, and 164 mm (6.4 in) in Hòa Bình. Upwards of 150 mm (5.9 in) fell within 30 hours in northern areas of the county. The rains led to increased water levels in the Thao River, which threatened to overflow and flood several villages. In Thanh Hóa Province, an estimated 1,600 homes collapsed and 9,700 dykes were damaged. Large expanses of rice fields were submerged in floodwaters.[3] In Hà Tĩnh Province, a total of 3,500 homes were submerged by floodwaters and an additional 450 residences were evacuated.[6] An additional 3,000 homes were damaged and 250 were destroyed in other areas throughout Vietnam. A landslide in Yên Bái Province killed three people and injured five others. Flooding destroyed a bridge in Duong Quy and inundated a newly built school.[7] A boy in Quỳnh Lưu District was killed when a tree, knocked down by the storm, fell on him.[8] A total of 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of farmland was lost due to the storm. Damages totaled to 55 billion (US$3.48 million).[3] In all, at least 20 people were killed by the storm.[1]

Thailand

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The remnants of Vicente dropped heavy rains over drought-stricken areas of Thailand. One reservoir, which has a maximum capacity of 8 million cubic metres (282.5 million cubic feet), contained only 312,000 cubic metres (11 million cubic feet) of water. Following the storm, the reservoir gained 288,000 cubic metres (10.1 million cubic feet) of water. At least seven homes were inundated with mud due to the rains in Soi Siang Tai.[9][failed verification]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Gary Padgett (12 February 2006). "Monthly Tropical Weather Summary for September 2005". Typhoon 2000. Archived from the original on 10 July 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  2. ^ a b Staff Writer (29 September 2005). "Tropical Storm Vicente (0516)". Hong Kong Observatory. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2005.
  3. ^ a b c Staff Writer (20 September 2005). "Timely preparation reduces damage from Storm Vicente". Vietnam News. Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  4. ^ "Tropical Storm 'Vicente': Bangkok braces for severe floods". The Nation. 18 September 2005. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  5. ^ "Tropical Storm: Vicente sweeps across Isaan". The Nation. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  6. ^ Dartmouth Flood Observatory (2006). "2005 Flood Archive". Dartmouth. Archived from the original on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  7. ^ Staff Writer (21 September 2005). "Rescue, recovery efforts in storm-hit regions continue". Vietnam News. Archived from the original on 23 November 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  8. ^ Vietnam News (20 September 2005). "Tropical storm wreaks havoc in central province". VietnamNet Bridge. Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  9. ^ "Vicente blows in good news and bad". Phuket Gazette. 19 September 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
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