9. Typhoon TALIM (Isang/13w) 
>> August 26-September 2, 2005
Talim: contributed by the Philippines, means 'sharp' or 'cutting edge'
A. Introduction & Storm Origins
Forming in the monsoon trough during late August, Talim followed a northwestward to westward track for several days, peaking as an intense 125-kt typhoon on 29 August. Typhoon Talim was the second tropical cyclone of typhoon intensity to strike the island of Taiwan this year, following Super Typhoon Haitang (TC-05W) in mid-July. The storm also had severe implications in mainland China where it caused flooding and the loss of 110 lives.
The origins of Typhoon Talim could be traced back to an area of convection which developed and persisted approximately 250 nm east- northeast of Guam. It was first mentioned as a suspect area in JTWC's STWO issued at 0600 UTC 24 August when animated multi-spectral imagery revealed a broad LLCC associated with the disturbance. An upper-level analysis revealed a low to moderate wind shear environment. However, an upper-level LOW was impinging on the outflow on the northern side of the circulation. Despite this, the potential for development of a significant tropical cyclone was raised to 'good' at 25/2200 UTC and a TCFA issued. The first warning was released at 26/0600 UTC when Tropical Depression 13W was located approximately 100 nm west-southwest of Guam. It was upgraded to a 35-kt tropical storm by both JTWC and JMA at 27/0000 UTC, the tropical cyclone being assigned the name Talim.
B. Track & Intensity History
Tropical Storm Talim steadily intensified on 27 August as it moved on a general northwestward track along the southwestern periphery of a sub- tropical ridge. The tropical cyclone was raised to typhoon intensity at 0600 UTC 28 August when it was located approximately 690 nm south- east of Okinawa. At this time, PAGASA christened the tropical cyclone Isang after the storm had entered their AOR. (Note: Even though the name Talim was contributed to the international list by the Philippines, PAGASA always applies a name from their alphabetical list of local names for all systems entering their AOR.) Typhoon Talim continued to strengthen on 28 August while moving on a more westward heading and reached a peak intensity of 125 kts at 29/1800 UTC. After maintaining this strength for nearly 24 hours, a weakening trend began late on 30 August as the storm approached the island of Taiwan. Typhoon Talim made landfall near Hualien, Taiwan, at 31/1800 UTC with a MSW of 95 kts. From there, the cyclone crossed the Taiwan Strait and came ashore near Fuzhou, China, around 01/0600 UTC, the same time that it was downgraded to a 55-kt tropical storm. JTWC issued the final warning at 01/1200 UTC while JMA continued to maintain the system as a tropical storm, downgrading Talim to a tropical depression at 02/0600 UTC. The last statement issued by JMA was at 02/1800 UTC.
NMCC estimated a peak intensity of 130 kts while the CWB of Taiwan estimated a peak intensity of 105 kts. JMA, PAGASA and HKO all estimated a maximum intensity of 95 kts. The lowest CP estimated by JMA was 925 mb. (All the Asian TCWCs MSW estimates should be understood as representing a 10-min averaging period.)
A graphic displaying the track of Typhoon Talim/Isang may be found at the following link: 2005_13W_TALIM.jpg
C. Damage & Casualties
Typhoon Talim killed at least seven people and injured 59 more as it tracked across the island of Taiwan. Schools, financial markets and government offices were closed and hundreds of villagers were evacuated from mountainous regions. Transportation was badly affected. Train services were suspended and all domestic flights were cancelled. International air services were also delayed. Several roads were cut off in Hsinchu County while in Taichung County, a bridge at Kukuan was submerged by flash floods, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of tourists. Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Company temporarily suspended berthing operations at its Mai Liao refinery.
Talim's strong winds cut power supplies and downed trees while heavy rain triggered flooding in some towns in central Taiwan. Around 1.7 million people lost power and some 48,500 households were without running water. In the capital of Taipei, streets were abandoned as strong winds brought down trees and blew debris against buildings and homes.
News reports indicate that Typhoon Talim left at least 110 people dead in eastern mainland China, 40 of those believed to have perished in landslides in Anhui province. More than 150,000 people were evacuated, and thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed.
D. Huang Chunliang Report from Japan
The following observations were obtained from the Okinawa Meteor- ological Observatory, Japan Meteorology Agency: http://www.okinawa-jma.go.jp Station Min SLP (hPa) Peak SW (m/s) Peak Gust (m/s) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Miyakojima 988.6 [31/0550Z] 17.1 [30/2320Z] 34.7 [31/0101Z] Ishigakijima 971.6 [31/0705Z] 34.1 [31/0750Z] 59.1 [31/0734Z] Iriomotejima 969.2 [31/1005Z] 31.6 [31/0750Z] 54.6 [31/0749Z] Yonagunijima 965.8 [31/1207Z] 38.2 [31/1200Z] 57.8 [31/1207Z] Station Peak Daily Rainfall (mm) ----------------------------------------- Miyakojima 22.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Ishigakijima 132.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Iriomotejima 152.5 [30/1500-31/1500Z] Yonagunijima 134.0 [31/1500-01/1500Z] Note: Miyakojima @ WMO47927, 24.79N/125.28E, Alt 40 m Ishigakijima @ WMO47918, 24.34N/124.16E, Alt 6 m Iriomotejima @ WMO47917, 24.39N/123.75E, Alt 9 m Yonagunijima @ WMO47912, 24.47N/123.01E, Alt 30 m
E. Huang Chunliang Report from China
(Editor's Note: I have not yet received Chunliang's China report on Typhoon Sanvu. It will be included as an addendum to a future summary.)
(Report written/compiled by Kevin Boyle and Huang Chunliang)
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