 Typhoon Sudal shortly after peak intensity on April 11 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 2, 2004 |
| Extratropical | April 16, 2004 |
| Dissipated | April 18, 2004 |
| Very strong typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 165 km/h (105 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg |
| Category 4-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 240 km/h (150 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 910 hPa (mbar); 26.87 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None reported |
| Damage | $14 million (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Federated States of Micronesia (particularly Yap state), Guam, Rota, Iwo Jima |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2004 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon Sudal (pronounced [su.dal]), known in the Philippines as Typhoon Cosme, was the strongest typhoon to strike the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in about 50 years. Yap is one of the four administrative divisions of the FSM. The entire island, only 17 km (11 mi) in length, experienced typhoon force winds, and 90% of the structures were damaged or destroyed. Damage was most severe in southeastern Yap, where the eyewall struck and winds exceeded 185 km/h (115 mph), but the center of the typhoon passed south of the island.
Typhoon Sudal originally formed on April 2, 2004, out of a persistent area of convection east of the FSM. It moved mostly westward for the first week of its duration, with brief northerly and southwesterly turns. Sudal attained tropical storm status on April 5, and it gradually intensified into a typhoon, which is a tropical cyclone with winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph) and is the equivalent of a hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean. On April 9, it passed just south of Yap, and shortly thereafter its peak winds were estimated at 240 km/h (150 mph). Later, Sudal moved to the northwest and eventually to the northeast, becoming an extratropical cyclone on April 16 and dissipating two days later.
In addition to the damage on Yap, the typhoon dropped heavy rainfall in Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, where some minor crop damage occurred. Sudal also brushed the United States islands of Guam and Rota with high waves and light rainfall, and later moved very close to the uninhabited Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Overall damage was $14 million (2004 USD, $16.1 million 2010 USD), most of which was on Yap, although no fatalities or serious injuries were reported. Due to the heavy damage, the name was retired and replaced with "Mirinae". The name "Sudal" was contributed by South Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclone list and is the Korean name for the otter.[1]