User:Icelandic Hurricane/Sandbox/Typhoon Nida (2004)

Super Typhoon Nida (also known as Typhoon Dindo in the Philippines and Typhoon 04W by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center) was the fourth tropical cyclone and second named storm of the 2004 Pacific typhoon season. Nida was also the second super typhoon of the 2004 season, reaching a peak intensity of 160 mph on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, the typhoon brushed the eastern Philippines causing $1.3 million dollars (2004 USD) in damage and left 31 fatalities.

Storm history
On May 12, a persistent area of convection formed within a monsoon trough 220 miles southwest of Palau. Satellite imagery revealed a weak low level convection (LLC). Originally, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasted the storm to not strengthen but the following day, forecasters saw that the storm was strengthening and upgraded the system to tropical depression status. Forecasters at PAGASA designated the storm as Tropical Depression Dindo.

At the time of formation, the depression was located 190 miles east of Palau as it moved west northwest at 3 mph (6 km/h). Quickstat satellite passes showed the depressions winds were at 29 mph (46 km/h) and still increasing. Time-lapse imagery later the showed the deep center organizing over the low level circulation. The depression then underwent rapid intensification as it went became a tropical storm at 0000 UTC, on May 14 and was assigned the name Nida by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Still rapidly intensifying, the storm turned northwest where it reached typhoon status at 1300 UTC. The intensification from tropical depression to category 1 status took 30 hours.

Still curving west-northwest at 7 mph (11 km/h), Typhoon Nida became a major typhoon (Category 3 status or higher) as the winds reached 115 mph (185 km/h). On May 16, Nida became a category 5 supertyphoon as its winds reached 165 mph (266 km/h). At its peak, the winds extended 35 miles (56 km) from the center. Satellite imagery showed the storm developed a defined eye measuring 25 miles (40 km) wide. On May 17, the center of Nida passed over Catanduanes Island, Philippines. After making landfall, Nida weakened and then turned more northward as its forward speed began to slow down. Re-entering the warmer waters of the Western Pacific Ocean, Nida's winds restrengthened to 155 mph (250 km/h). A day later (May 18), Nida was still a supertyphoon despite interacting with a ridge of high pressure, at 1200 UTC, the typhoon began to weaken which dropped the storm from supertyphoon status. Infrared satellite imagery showed the eye being obscured by the cloud tops as the typhoon continued to weaken. The eyewall then became significantly disorganized as Nida continued to recurve to the northeast.

Nida then accelerated to the northeast where it winds weakened to 92 mph (148 km/h). Interacting with an upper level low pressure system over Japan, the storm became elongated. As a result, the interaction caused Nida to weaken below typhoon strength as the center was located 290 miles (467 km) south of Tokyo, Japan. By May 21, Nida transitioned to an extratropical storm and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center ceased issuing advisories at that time. However, the JMA continued to track the extratropical remnants of Nida as it weakened northeast of northern Japan.

Preparations
In the Philippines, evacuation centers were opened to accommodate 2,986 people. The typhoon approach cancelled ferry operations stranding 15,057 passengers. In Taiwan, forecasters at the Central Weather Bureau issued a typhoon warning as forecast models predicted a high probability of the typhoon hitting Taiwan. The warnings interrupted the preparations for the ingauration of President Chen.

Impact
Nida produced heavy rainfall across the eastern Philippines. Rainfall up to 10.6 inches (270 mm) was reported in Ombao while Naga City received 5.9 inches (150 mm) of rain. The rest of the Philippines received 4.1-9.1 inches (104–231 mm) of rain. 31 fatalities (20 confirmed, 11 unaccounted for) were reported during Nidas landfall. In Camotes island, Nine people drowned and five were declared missing when a ferry boat sank during the storm. Elsewhere offshore, 13 crewmen were rescued when their ship ran aground near Luzon. Structural damage was severe as the typhoon damaged or destroyed over 700-4,000 homes displacing 11,000 people. In Guimba, Nueva Ecija, Nida spawned a rare tornado that caused moderate damage. After the storm, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placed eight providences under a state of emergency. In all, the typhoon left $1.3 million dollars (2004 USD) in damage across the eastern Philippines. In Minamidaitojima, a weather station operated by the WMO reported winds gusting to 71 mph (115 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 972 millibars. Rainfall total at the station was 1.25 inches (32 mm) with the highest at 2.79 inches (71 mm). There were no reports of damage. The name Nida was not retired by the WMO during its meeting in the spring of 2005. As a result the name is currently on the naming list for pacific typhoons.