 Tropical Storm Rumbia at peak intensity over East China on August 17 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 15, 2018 |
| Dissipated | August 23, 2018 |
| Tropical storm | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 85 km/h (50 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 985 hPa (mbar); 29.09 inHg |
| Tropical storm | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 95 km/h (60 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 978 hPa (mbar); 28.88 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 53 |
| Damage | $5.36 billion |
| Areas affected | Ryukyu Islands, East China, Korean Peninsula |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season | |
Tropical Storm Rumbia was a rather weak but very destructive tropical cyclone that caused widespread and disastrous flooding in East China in August 2018. The twenty-second officially recognized tropical cyclone of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Rumbia developed from an area of low pressure that developed southeast of the Ryukyu Islands on August 13. Favorable environmental conditions supported development of the low into a tropical depression by August 15. At 12:00 UTC that day, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Rumbia, which refers to the Sago palm. Initially moving northward, the cyclone turned westward in response to a building ridge to its northeast while slowly strengthening, reaching its peak intensity with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of 85 km/h (50 mph) on August 16. At 20:05 UTC that day, the storm made landfall in Shanghai at peak intensity, maintaining its strength as it moved inland due to ample environmental moisture. However, Rumbia began to weaken as it continued further inland, degenerating into a tropical depression on August 17 shortly before becoming extratropical over central China. The extratropical remnants of Rumbia accelerated northeastward into the Russian Far East, where they dissipated on August 23.
Rumbia, the third tropical cyclone to strike East China in 2018, succeeding tropical storms Ampil and Yagi, produced widespread heavy rainfall over regions already saturated by rains from the previous storms, causing flooding which claimed 53 lives and destroyed thousands of homes throughout the northeastern provinces of Anhui, Henan, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Xuzhou. Total economic losses from Tropical Storm Rumbia are estimated at ¥36.91 billion (US$5.36 billion).