Typhoon Chaba (2004)

Typhoon Chaba

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Chaba at peak intensity on August 23
Formed	August 18, 2004 (August 18, 2004)
Dissipated	September 5, 2004 (September 5, 2004)
(Extratropical after August 31, 2004)
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph) 1-minute sustained: 285 km/h (180 mph)
Lowest pressure	910 hPa (mbar); 26.87 inHg
Fatalities	20
Damage	$977 million (2004 USD) ()
Areas affected	Northern Mariana Islands Guam Japan
Part of the 2004 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Chaba was the strongest tropical cyclone in the western Pacific during 2004 and caused a swath of damage from the Mariana Islands to Japan from August through September of that year. Chaba was the Japan's second costliest storm during the season, only behind Songda in September, and peaked as a typhoon with maximum sustained winds equivalent to that of a Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Chaba originated from a gradually developing area of disturbed weather on August 18, northeast of Kwajalein. Tracking westward, the system gained tropical storm strength the following day and then reached typhoon intensity on August 20. Rapid intensification ensued thereafter, with Chaba quickly attaining its peak intensity on August 23 as it began to curve towards the northeast. This intensity was maintained for several hours before the typhoon began to fluctuate in strength as it began to meander south of Japan beginning on August 26. Three days later, Chaba made landfall on Kyushu, later tracking across the Sea of Japan as it concurrently weakened. On August 31, the storm transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, and later dissipated in the Sea of Okhotsk on September 5.

The typhoon caused significant damage to areas of the Northern Mariana Islands, which were buffeted by strong typhoon-force winds. Rota was worst affected by Chaba, as the island remained under the storm's eyewall for several hours. Gusts peaked at 219 km/h (136 mph) at Rota International Airport, and the strong winds damaged and destroyed a multitude of homes. Power outages were frequent across the commonwealth, and beach erosion resulted from strong storm surge. Damage in the Northern Mariana Islands amounted to US$18 million, and 13 people were injured, with one fatality. Another fatality occurred in Guam under similar circumstances, though the island sustained less damage. Following the storm, a state of emergency was declared in Guam and areas of the Northern Mariana Islands were declared federal disaster areas.