Typhoon Nabi was a powerful typhoon that struck southwestern Japan in September 2005. The 14th named storm of the 2005 Pacific typhoon season, Nabi formed on August 29 to the east of the Northern Mariana Islands. On September 1, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center upgraded the storm to super typhoon status, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. The Japan Meteorological Agency estimated peak ten-minute winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) on September 2. The typhoon first affected the Northern Marianas, damaging or destroying 114 homes. It weakened while curving to the north, striking the Japanese island of Kyushu on September 6. The western fringe of the storm brushed South Korea, where it killed six people and caused US$115.4 million in damage. The storm then passed over Hokkaido before becoming extratropical on September 8. Across Japan, Nabi killed 29 people and caused ¥94.9 billion (US$854 million) in damage. Nabi's name was retired the following year. (Full article...)