 Typhoon In-fa near its peak intensity south of Okinawa on July 21 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 15, 2021 |
| Extratropical | July 29, 2021 |
| Dissipated | July 31, 2021 |
| Very strong typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 155 km/h (100 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 950 hPa (mbar); 28.05 inHg |
| Category 2-equivalent typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 175 km/h (110 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 951 hPa (mbar); 28.08 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 6 total |
| Damage | >$1 billion (2021 USD) |
| Areas affected | |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon In-fa, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Fabian, was a very large and costly tropical cyclone that brought record amounts of rainfall to China in July 2021, becoming the second-wettest tropical cyclone ever recorded in the country. It was also the first storm to impact the city of Shanghai since Typhoon Mitag of 2019.[1] The ninth depression, sixth tropical storm and third typhoon of the 2021 Pacific typhoon season, the system was first noted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center as an area of low pressure, located east of the Philippines on July 14. Favorable conditions helped the storm to intensify, becoming a tropical depression, two days later and a tropical storm on July 17, being assigned the name In-fa by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Located in a weak steering environment, the system struggled to organize under dry air and moderate wind shear before organizing further. It continued to move mostly westward, strengthening into a typhoon and deepening quickly. The storm struggled to organize itself significantly due to continuous dry air intrusions and its frequent motion changes. On July 21, it reached its peak intensity according to the JTWC with winds of 175 km/h (110 mph); the JMA estimated a lower numbers of 150 km/h (90 mph) on the system. Nevertheless, the system reached its minimum barometric pressure of 950 hPa (28.05 inHg), three days later after passing through the Ryukyu's. As the system entered the East China Sea, marginal conditions started to take toll on the system, with In-fa weakening steadily and slowly, until it made its consecutive landfalls over Putuo District of Zhoushan and Pinghu on July 25 and 26, respectively, as a tropical storm. For the next couple of days, the storm slowly moved inland while gradually weakening, before turning northward on July 29. Later that day, In-fa weakened into a remnant low over northern China. The remnants continued their northward trek for another couple of days, before dissipating near North Korea on July 31.
In-fa caused rough waves along the Japanese islands, along with torrential rainfall and high winds, highly damaging and downing many structures, killing one person. The Philippines experienced flooding due to heavy rainfall, and some winds, resulting in the death of five people. China experienced widespread impacts in agriculture, infrastructure, transportation, and other areas. The typhoon brought flooding rainfall and storm surge to a large area, with some regions experiencing nearly a month's worth of rainfall in just one to two days. Rivers overflowed and some floodwaters were up to the roofs of cars.
The storm exacerbated and played a part in starting the 2021 Henan floods, killing at least 302 people and dealing upwards of 82 billion yuan (US$12.7 billion) in damage. At least 50 are missing.[2][3] The typhoon itself has caused at least $1 billion in damages and 6 deaths.[4]
- ^ James Cosgrove [@MrJamesCosgrove] (July 26, 2021). "Typhoon InFa, which made landfall in eastern China yesterday, has brought strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surge to portions to Zhejian, Jiangsu, and Shanghai. In-Fa is the first tropical cyclone to impact Shanghai since Mitag in October 2019" (Tweet). Retrieved July 28, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "河南极端降雨已致302人遇难 其中郑州市292人遇难". August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ "河南强降雨致302人遇难50人失踪，其中郑州市遇难292人失踪47人". reuters. August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
- ^ Global Catastrophe Recap July 2021 (PDF) (Report). Aon Benfield. August 10, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.