Timeline of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season

The 2020 Pacific typhoon season was the first in a series of below-average Pacific typhoon seasons which persisted until 2023. It was also the first below-average tropical cyclone season since 2014, a consequence of La Niña that persisted from the summer of the year. The first half of the season was unusually inactive, with only four systems, two named storms, and one typhoon at the end of July. Additionally, the JTWC recorded no tropical cyclone development in the month of July, the first such occurrence since reliable records began. Despite that, this season featured Typhoon Goni, which made the strongest landfall worldwide in terms of 1-minute wind speed. The season also had the seventh-latest start in the basin on record, slightly behind 1973, with the season's first tropical system not forming until May. The season's first named tropical cyclone, Vongfong, developed on May 8, while the season's last named tropical cyclone, Krovanh, dissipated on December 24. However, the season's last system was an unnamed tropical depression, which dissipated on December 29.[1][2]

Timeline of the
2020 Pacific typhoon season
A map of the tracks of all the storms of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season.
Season summary map
Season boundaries
First system formedMay 8, 2020
Last system dissipatedDecember 29, 2020
Strongest system
NameGoni
Maximum winds220 km/h (140 mph)
(10-minute sustained)
Lowest pressure905 hPa (mbar)
Longest lasting system
NameChan-hom
Duration13 days
Storm articles
Other years
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

This timeline documents all of the events of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season. The season ran throughout the year, though most tropical cyclones formed between May and November. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator between 100°E and the International Date Line (IDL). Tropical storms that form in the entire Western Pacific basin are assigned a name by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Tropical depressions that form in this basin are given a number with a "W" suffix by the United States' Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). In addition, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) assigns names to tropical cyclones (including tropical depressions) that enter or form in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR). These names, however, are not in common use outside of the Philippines.

During the season, 32 systems were designated as tropical depressions by either the JMA, PAGASA, JTWC, or other National Meteorological and Hydrological Services such as the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). 23 of these tropical depressions became named storms, and 10 of these named storms intensified to typhoons.[1] Furthermore, 2 of those strengthened further to super-typhoons.[nb 1][2]

Timeline

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Tropical Storm Krovanh (2020)Typhoon VamcoTyphoon GoniTyphoon MolaveTyphoon SaudelTropical Storm Nangka (2020)Tropical Storm LinfaTropical Storm Noul (2020)Typhoon Haishen (2020)Typhoon Maysak (2020)Typhoon Bavi (2020)Tropical Storm Higos (2020)Tropical Storm Mekkhala (2020)Tropical Storm Sinlaku (2020)Typhoon Hagupit (2020)Typhoon Vongfong (2020)

January

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January 1

  • 00:00 UTC  The 2020 Pacific typhoon season officially begins, though no tropical cyclones have formed until May.

May 8

May 9

May 10

May 11

Track of Vongfong during early-mid May.

May 12

Vongfong near its peak intensity approaching the Philippines on May 13.

May 13

Vongfong making landfall on Samar on May 14.

May 14

May 15

May 16

May 17

May 18

June

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June 10

Water vapor loop of Butchoy (pre-Nuri) making landfall on Luzon on June 11.

June 11

Track of Nuri during mid June.

June 12

June 13

June 14

July

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July 11

Track of Carina during mid July.

July 12

July 14

July 15

July 27

July 28

July 29

July 30

July 31

August

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Track of Sinlaku during late July to early August.

August 1

Track of Hagupit during late July to mid August.

August 2

Hagupit making landfall in China on August 3.

August 3

August 4

August 5

August 6

August 7

Track of Jangmi during early-mid August.

August 8

Track of 06W during early-mid August.

August 9

August 10

Mekkhala after making landfall on China on August 11.

August 11

August 12

August 13

August 16

August 17

Track of Higos during mid-late August.

August 18

August 19

August 20

August 21

Track of Bavi during late August.

August 22

August 23

August 24

August 25

Bavi at its peak intensity moving over the East China Sea on August 26.

August 26

Bavi making landfall on North Korea on August 26-27.

August 27

Track of Maysak during late August to early September.

August 28

August 29

August 30

Track of Haishen during late August to early September.

August 31

September

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Maysak near its peak intensity traversing the East China Sea and affecting the Ryukyu Islands on September 1.

September 1

September 2

September 3

Haishen near its peak intensity moving over the Philippine Sea on September 4.

September 4

September 5

Haishen raking the Satsunan Islands on September 6.

September 6

September 7

September 10

Track of 12W during mid-September.

September 11

September 12

September 15

September 16

September 17

Noul after making landfall on Vietnam on September 18.

September 18

September 19

September 20

Track of Dolphin during mid-late September.

September 21

September 22

September 23

September 24

September 25

September 26

September 27

September 28

Kujira at its peak intensity well east of Japan on September 29.

September 29

September 30

October

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October 1

October 4

Track of Chan-hom during early-mid October.

October 5

October 6

October 7

Chan-hom near its peak while nearing Japan on October 8.

October 8

October 9

October 10

Linfa making landfall at its peak intensity on October 11.

October 11

October 12

2 tropical cyclones active on October 13 with Nangka (left) impacting Hainan and Ofel (right) heading towards the Philippines.

October 13

October 14

October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

Track of 20W during mid-late October.

October 19

Track of Saudel during mid-late October.

October 20

October 21

October 22

Saudel at its peak intensity over the South China Sea on October 23.

October 23

Track of Molave during late October.

October 24

October 25

October 26

Molave near its peak intensity over the South China Sea on October 27.

October 27

Three tropical systems present over the Western Pacific: Molave (left) heading towards Vietnam, a tropical depression over the Pacific Ocean (center-right) which would become Goni, and a low-pressure area (bottom-right) which would become Atsani.

October 28

Track of Goni during late October to early November.

October 29

October 30

Goni near its peak intensity about to make landfall in the Phillippines on October 31.
Goni making landfall on Catanduanes on October 31.

October 31

November

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November 1

Track of Atsani during early November.

November 2

November 3

November 4

True-color satellite image of Atsani at its peak intensity while approaching the Batanes Islands on November 5.

November 5

November 6

November 7

November 8

Etau near its peak intensity as it approaches Vietnam on November 9.

November 9

November 10

November 11

November 12

November 13

Vamco at its peak intensity moving over the South China Sea and approaching Vietnam on November 13.

November 14

November 15

November 16

December

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December 5

December 6

  • 06:00 UTC  The JMA last notes the tropical depression north of Okinotori Island as it merges with a stationary front; the system becomes unmarked six hours later.[43]

December 18

December 19

Track of Krovanh during mid-late December.

December 20

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 29

December 31

  • 23:59 UTC  The 2020 Pacific typhoon season officially ends.

See also

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Notes

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  1. Super typhoons are an unofficial classification given by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center for storms whose strength are 130 knots (240 km/h; 150 mph) or above.[3]
  2. Since March 23, 2022, PAGASA has defined a super-typhoon as a tropical cyclone with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of ≥185 kilometres per hour (100 kn; 51 m/s; 115 mph). This update has been reflected in the agency's annual reports of tropical cyclones starting in 2020.[21]

References

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