User:KN2731/Mujigae

Effects in mainland China
Typhoon Mujigae brought severe impacts to the provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan from October 3 to 6, affecting over 7.5 million people and killing 27. With economic losses estimated at ¥27 billion (US$4.2 billion), Mujigae was the costliest typhoon to impact China in 2015. At landfall in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, the China Meteorological Administration estimated Mujigae to have winds of 50 m/s and a central pressure of 940 hPa, making Mujigae the strongest typhoon to make landfall in China in the month of October since 1949. The three provinces experienced strong winds of at least Force 9 on the Beaufort scale, with a peak gust of 67.2 m/s recorded in Zhanjiang. Torrential rain fell over the region throughout the four days, leading to rainfall accumulations of 100 –. The outer rainbands of Mujigae also produced tornadoes in parts of Guangdong on October 4. Power outages occurred in much of the region and transport lines were cut. Mujigae came ashore during a week-long holiday (known as a "Golden Week") in lieu of China's National Day, disrupting the plans of many tourists seeking to travel to the southern coast. Mujigae's track and rapid intensification prior to landfall drew comparisons to Typhoon Rammasun, which significantly impacted similar areas a year earlier.

Guangdong
Ahead of the storm, the China Meteorological Administration issued red alerts for the province, expecting wind gusts exceeding 200 km/h and rainfall accumulations of 250 –. The Qiongzhou Strait was closed to marine traffic on the evening of October 2, and nearly 40,000 fishing boats west of Shanwei returned to port to shelter in Guangdong. Coastal tourist attractions in the province were closed from October 3. The suspension of ferry services to offshore islands left 503 tourists on Fangji Island stranded; strong winds hampered attempts to return them to the mainland. The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center issued warnings for storm surge and large waves that same day. Flights out of Zhuhai and Zhanjiang were canceled. China Southern Power Grid readied 24,000 workers to address any power disruptions. Authorities evacuated 170,400 people in vulnerable areas.

Mujigae made landfall in Potou District, Zhanjiang, on the afternoon of October 4. The typhoon brought high winds and heavy rain to over 3.53 million people in Guangdong, and spawned at least three tornadoes in the province. One tornado touched down in Guangzhou's Panyu District, killing three and injuring 134. The tornado damaged several houses and factories, blew down trees, tripped an electrical substation, and damaged power cables. Large parts of Panyu and Haizhu Districts thus lost power for the first time in 23 years. Tourists visiting the Canton Tower in Haizhu had to be evacuated after it suffered a blackout. The power outages had a further knock-on effect on communications and water infrastructure, resulting in greater disruption. Another tornado touched down in Shunde District, Foshan, causing four deaths and 89 injuries, while inflicting roughly ¥130 million (US$29 million) of damage. The tornado touched down for 32 minutes and traveled 30.85 km northwest, leaving a damage swath of diameter between 20 and 570 m. It was also noted to have possessed twin funnels at peak intensity. The Foshan tornado was rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, based on observations of collapsed tower cranes and destroyed factories and warehouses. A third tornado—this time a waterspout—occurred near the coast of Shanwei. For context, tornadoes in China are rather uncommon: less than 100 were recorded over the past 50 years, of which about 20 were at or above EF3 intensity. Hence, when Mujigae impacted China in 2015, the country had no systems in place to forecast tornadoes and issue relevant warnings, likely contributing to an elevated number of fatalities and more extensive damage.

Damage was most severe in Zhanjiang, the site of Mujigae's landfall. The city experienced widespread blackouts and disruptions to water supplies and telecommunications, which hampered damage assessments. The storm sank two fishing boats docked in the city's port, drowning three and leaving four missing. A collapsed building in Xiashan District killed another. Elsewhere, landslides killed a total of seven people: four in Xinyi, Maoming, two in Luoding, Yunfu, and one in Guangning County, Zhaoqing. Overall, in Guangdong, Mujigae killed at least 18 people and left four missing. The typhoon damaged 3,374 houses and 282,700 hectare of crops across the province. Direct economic losses reached ¥23.24 billion (US$3.642 billion).

Guangxi
As Mujigae was expected to pass over eastern Guangxi, warnings for heavy rain and gusty winds were issued, and an increased possibility of landslides was noted. About 12,700 fishing boats in the region's waters were called back to port and 35,400 offshore workers were evacuated. Nineteen flights from Beihai Fucheng Airport were canceled as adverse weather conditions forced the airport to close on October 4. Meanwhile, 530 passengers were stranded at Nanning Wuxu International Airport as two flights were delayed by more than five hours and two others were scrapped. Services along the Guangxi coastal high-speed railway between Nanning and Beihai were halted from noon on October 4 to midnight on October 5. Scenic attractions were closed beginning October 4 and tourists evacuated. About 135,100 people living in vulnerable areas were resettled.

The center of Mujigae crossed into Guangxi from Guangdong on the evening of October 4, though heavy rains and gusty winds affected Guangxi through October 4 and 5. The typhoon impacted 2.67 million people in the province. The strongest winds were recorded in Bobai County, where winds gusted up to Force 12 on the Beaufort scale, and a peak rainfall total of 418.6 mm was observed at Shengtang Mountain in Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County. Numerous flash floods and landslides occurred in the mountains of southeast Guangxi, damaging roads and buildings. A person was crushed and killed by a fallen tree in Nanning; the typhoon killed a total of two people in the province. Damage to power lines caused 1.155 million residents of Guangxi to lose power on October 5. The typhoon completely destroyed 954 houses, severely damaged another 1,532 houses, and left 5,478 more with mild damage. About 144,800 hectare of cropland was affected by rain and wind, of which 6,650 hectare were deemed a complete loss. Direct economic losses were at least ¥919 million (US$144 million), of which ¥752 million (US$118 million) was from agriculture and ¥46.8 million (US$7.33 million) was from property damage.

Hainan
Ahead of the storm, train services between the island and the mainland were suspended from October 2 to 5, while services on the Hainan eastern ring high-speed railway were halted on October 4. The Qiongzhou Strait was closed to marine traffic and ferry services across the strait were suspended. All 25,584 fishing boats in Hainan were ordered back to port to take shelter. Seventy-six flights from Haikou Meilan International Airport were delayed and eight canceled. Expressways remained open to vehicular traffic, however. Residents in flood-prone areas, such as Beigang Island, were evacuated to higher ground. By the evening of October 3, 39,103 people in Wenchang had been resettled in 57 shelters, while 9,887 people had been evacuated in Qionghai. Hainan Power Grid placed 272 teams (with a total of 4,559 workers) and equipment worth ¥160 million (US$25 million) on standby to deal with disruptions to electrical services. Marine tourist attractions in Sanya, such as Wuzhizhou Island and parts of Yalong Bay, were shut beginning October 3. Meanwhile, all tourist attractions in Wenchang were closed from that evening of that day.

Mujigae produced wind gusts from Force 11 to 14 on the extended Beaufort scale over the northern and western coasts of Hainan. Roughly 50 – of rain fell over the island from October 3 to 4. The typhoon affected 489,000 people in Hainan and caused economic losses of over ¥136 million (US$21.3 million), though no deaths were reported. About 171,000 acres of cropland were damaged, contributing to over half of the province's damage bill. The remaining losses came from transport and industry as well as damage to water conservancy facilities. Power supplies remained relatively stable: about 47,000 customers lost power, and services were restored to 41,000 of them by the end of October 4. Flooding occurred along several streets in Haikou, however, storm surge failed to breach the city and traffic was mostly unaffected. Reopening began on October 4 as the typhoon passed, with closures imposed on Sanya's tourist attractions lifted on the evening of October 4. Flights from Haikou Meilan International Airport resumed on the afternoon of October 4. All train services resumed on the morning on October 5.

Effects elsewhere
The influence of Mujigae and a high-pressure area to the north brought squalls and rain to Hong Kong from October 3 to 5 as Mujigae passed to the south of the territory. Strong Wind Signal No. 3 was issued from October 3 to 4, and Amber Rainstorm Warning Signals were raised twice on the two days. Rainfall totals from October 2 to 5 ranged around 150 mm, reaching up to 250 mm over the southwestern part of Lantau Island. The weather conditions caused 39 aircraft to be diverted from Hong Kong International Airport, and disrupted ferry services to and from Macau. At least 30 incidents of fallen trees and 14 incidents of flooding were recorded, with a fallen tree near Fanling station causing a stoppage in train services by damaging overhead cables. A runner participating in a race between Lantau and Sunset Peaks suffered a broken arm when he slipped off the track amid the adverse weather conditions.

Nearby Macau experienced a similar situation from October 3 to 5. Typhoon Signal No. 3 was raised from the evening of October 3 till morning on October 5 as heavy rains and gusty winds buffeted the territory. Some flooding occurred in low-lying regions. The Fire Services Bureau received 27 reports of fallen trees; in total they responded to 59 typhoon-related incidents. Thunderstorms forced the the cancellation of six outdoor events and delayed at least 15 flights from Macau International Airport. Ferry operator TurboJET suspended services from Macau to Shenzhen and Hong Kong. A woman at the University of Macau suffered cuts on her limbs from broken glass and was sent to hospital. The adverse weather caused Macau's tourist visitation numbers to drop by 16 percent in the week following the typhoon, erasing gains from China's Golden Week holidays.

As Mujigae weakened inland over China, it brought torrential rain to northern parts of Vietnam and Thailand. The combination of Mujigae and a cold front brought up to 100 mm of rain to mountainous regions in the provinces of Quảng Ninh, Lạng Sơn, and Cao Bằng. Meanwhile, heavy rains in Northeast and Central Thailand had the beneficial effect of filling reservoirs, but caused several flash floods on October 4 and 5. One in Nakhon Sawan Province flooded and ruined 2000 rai of cropland. Another in Chachoengsao Province inundated 40 houses, causing damage to agricultural equipment and electrical appliances. In Ratchaburi Province, a crocodile farm was flooded and some of its inhabitants escaped. Other provinces affected by flash floods included Chanthaburi and Kamphaeng Phet.

Aftermath
Following Mujigae's landfall in Guangdong, the National Disaster Reduction Center of China and the Ministry of Civil Affairs launched a Level IV emergency response (the highest possible level ) in Guangdong and Guangxi. Guangdong's local government allocated ¥20 million (US$3.1 million) of funds to immediate disaster relief, and distributed ¥900,000 (US$140,000) worth of relief supplies in Yanjiang and Maoming by October 5. The next day, Guangdong authorities moved 300 tents, 300 folding beds, 2,100 quilts, 4,100 towels, 3,500 sets of clothing, and 250 emergency lights to affected cities. Guangxi's local government invested ¥18 million (US$2.8 million) into disaster relief by October 5, with plans to set aside a further ¥29 million (US$4.5 million). Around 24,800 workers from China Southern Power Grid were dispatched to restore electrical services, and by the morning of October 6 about 78 percent of households had their power restored. Outages in Hainan and Guangxi were fully resolved on October 5 and 7, respectively. Final repairs to the power supply—mostly in Guangdong, where Zhanjiang suffered the most from power outages—were expected to complete in a week.

On October 27, the Chinese government announced that ¥300 billion (US$47 million) of funds would be set aside for disaster relief efforts in Guangdong and Guangxi in addition to drought-stricken North China. This would cover reconstruction efforts and living expenses for those affected by Mujigae in the two provinces. A further contribution of ¥103 million (US$16 million) was announced by the National Development and Reform Commission on November 5.

Retirement
At the 48th Session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee held from February 22 to 25, 2016, the name Mujigae was retired following a request by China due to the high damage and death toll caused by the storm. In 2017, the name Surigae was chosen as a replacement.

Link dump
Guangdong Guangxi Hong Kong/Macau Thailand??
 * Govt reports, sorted latest first
 * Level III response (October 3)
 * Random interesting thing
 * 3.16 million affected (October 5)
 * 6 dead, 223 injured (October 5)
 * 12.53 billion renminbi, Level IV response (October 5)
 * 18 dead, 4 missing (October 7)
 * 1.44 million affected, 1 dead (October 5)
 * 1.15 million without power (October 6)
 * 1.96 million affected, 2 dead (October 7)
 * 900 million renminbi
 * 2.67 million affected (October 8)
 * All power restored (October 8)
 * HKO
 * ReliefWeb tidbit