Typhoon Hato

Typhoon Hato (Isang)
Typhoon Hato at peak intensity near Macau on 23 August
Meteorological history
FormedAugust 19, 2017
DissipatedAugust 25, 2017
Typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds140 km/h (85 mph)
Lowest pressure965 hPa (mbar); 28.50 inHg
Category 3-equivalent typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds185 km/h (115 mph)
Lowest pressure948 hPa (mbar); 27.99 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities24 total
Damage$6.41 billion (2017 USD)
Areas affectedHong Kong, Macau, Philippines, South China, Taiwan, Vietnam
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata

Part of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Hato, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Isang, was a strong tropical cyclone that struck South China in August 2017.[nb 1] The thirteenth named storm and the fourth typhoon of the Pacific typhoon season, Hato formed as a tropical depression over the east of Luzon on 19 August. The system further developed and became a tropical storm the next day. On 21 August, Hato emerged over the northern portion of the South China Sea and reached typhoon intensity. Rapid intensification ensued on 23 August, and Hato became a Category 3-equivalent typhoon before making landfall over Jinwan, Zhuhai. The storm further weakened over land and dissipated on 24 August.

One of the strongest typhoons to impact Macau and Hong Kong in the past 50 years, Hato caused significant damage totaling US$6.82 billion along its path. The bulk of the losses were incurred in Mainland China, where Hato brought a storm surge that caused severe flooding in several provinces along the Pearl River, in addition to wind gusts that reached 240 km/h (150 mph). Both Hong Kong and Macau had their tropical cyclone signals raised to the highest category in anticipation of the storm, which inflicted more than US$1 billion worth of damage in each of those areas. Also, while weakening, Hato brought heavy rain and a tornado to Vietnam. A total of 24 fatalities occurred due to Hato.

Hato made landfall along the southern coast of Zhuhai with a Category-3 intensity (both 1-min and 2-min sustained wind speed of 185 km/h), strong but not stronger than other more powerful storms. Three other major typhoons, Wanda (1962), Ruby (1964), and Vicente (2012), followed a similar trajectory as that of Hato (from ESE to WNW), making landfall on slightly different parts of the coast. Hato's forward speed was the fastest of these typhoons, reaching 32.5 km/h (20.2 mph), nearly twice as fast as the speed of Wanda.[1]


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  1. ^ Takagi, Hiroshi (2018). "Track analysis and storm surge investigation of 2017 Typhoon Hato: were the warning signals issued in Macau and Hong Kong timed appropriately?". Georisk. 12 (4). Taylor & Francis: 297–307. doi:10.1080/17499518.2018.1465573. S2CID 116455448.