Portal:Tropical cyclones/Featured article/Typhoon Xangsane

Typhoon Xangsane (international designation: 0615, JTWC designation: 18W, PAGASA name Typhoon Milenyo) was a deadly typhoon that affected the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand during the 2006 Pacific typhoon season. It was the fifteenth tropical storm and ninth typhoon recognized by the Japan Meteorological Agency operationally during the season, although in post-operational analysis it became the tenth typhoon of the season with the addition of Typhoon Maria. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Xangsane was the sixteenth tropical storm and tenth typhoon of the season, and was a Category 4-equivalent typhoon in terms of 1-minute average wind speeds. The name Xangsane was submitted by Laos and means elephant.

Xangsane made landfall in the Philippines, battering the northern islands with torrential rains and strong winds, and causing widespread flooding and landslides. After passing over Manila and emerging over the South China Sea, the typhoon made a second landfall in central Vietnam, also causing flooding and landslides there and in Thailand. The storm was responsible for at least 279 deaths, mostly in the Philippines and Vietnam, and at least $747 million (2006 USD) in damage.

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