Hurricane and Flash Flood in Guam, June 27 to 30, 2004

TYPHOON TINGTINGAfter starting about 500 miles southeast of Saipan the evening of June 25th, Tropical Depression 11W moved steadily northwest, becoming Tropical Storm Tingting the following afternoon at 1600 SST. Tingting brought tropical storm conditions to Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan on the 28th, passing 70 miles northeast of Saipan with maximum winds of 70 mph near the center at 0600 SST that morning. Tingting became a typhoon later in the afternoon, then passed 65 miles southwest of Pagan Island with maximum winds of 90 mph at 2200 SST that evening. Both Pagan Island and Agrihan experienced typhoon conditions during that passage. Along with the high winds, all the islands received heavy rain, but Guam was especially hard hit, with phenomenal rainfall resulting in widespread flash flooding and property damage. Guam: While Tropical Storm Tingting was still 250 miles or more east-northeast of Guam, peripheral rain bands brought record-breaking rainfall and widespread flash flooding to Guam. On the 27th through the morning of the 28th, over 20 inches of rain fell in 24 hours over much of the island. At Guam International Airport, 16.00 inches was recorded on June 27th, followed by 5.49 inches on the 28th. The maximum 24-hour rainfall was 18.80 inches, ending at 0600 SST on the 28th. At Inarajan in southern Guam, 21.85 inches was recorded by the automated station for the 24 hours ending at 0800 SST on the 28th. (It is worth noting that the previous wettest June on record, June of 1985, had a monthly total of 14.61 inches at the airport.) Rainfall was somewhat less over northeastern Guam, where 11.33 inches fell at Andersen AFB in the 30 hours ending at 1000 SST on the 28th. Even though Tingting never came closer to Guam than 200 miles, strong monsoon flow associated with the peripheral rain band brought tropical storm force winds to Guam, mainly late on the 27th through the morning of the 28th. At Guam International Airport, the highest sustained wind of 44 mph came on the 28th at 0454 SST, and the peak gust was 58 mph at 0241 SST. The highest sustained wind on Guam was 51 mph at Andersen AFB on the 28th at 0959 SST, while the highest observed gust was 66 mph at the Inarajan automated station on the 28th at 0251 SST. The lowest pressure recorded on Guam was 994.6 mb at Andersen AFB on the 28th at 0356 SST. Rota: After passing 160 miles northeast of Rota around 0600 SST the morning of the 28th, Tingting delivered its strongest winds to Rota later that afternoon. At Rota International Airport, the highest sustained wind was 44 mph from the west-southwest at 1455 SST, while the peak gust of 58 mph from the southwest was recorded at 1550 SST. The automated station at the airport recorded 5.72 inches of rain in the 24 hours ending at 2251 SST on the 27th, and 8.74 inches total for the 27th and 28th. The lowest reported sea-level pressure at the automated station was 992.3 mb at 0451 SST on the 28th.Tinian: The observer at Tinian Airport does not report rainfall or sea-level pressure, and is only there part-time. The highest reported sustained wind of 35 mph occurred several times: from the west on the 28th at 0850 SST, at 1150 SST, and at 1250 SST; and from the southwest at 1855 SST. The highest reported gust was 52 mph from the southwest on the 28th at 1855 SST. Saipan: At Saipan International Airport, the maximum sustained wind of 62 mph and the peak gust of 77 mph were both from the southwest, on the 28th at 1806 SST, about 12 hours after Tingting's closest approach. In the 24 hours ending at 2354 SST on the 28th, 7.78 inches of rain fell. The lowest sea-level pressure was 984.9 mb, recorded at 0654 and 0754 SST on the 28th. Pagan Island: The automated station on Pagan recorded both the maximum sustained wind of 66 mph and the peak gust of 132 mph from the east-northeast at 0200 SST on the 29th. The lowest sea-level pressure of 973.6 mb occurred an hour earlier, at 0100 SST. STORM EFFECTS AND DAMAGEGuam: While Guam did experience a short period of minimal tropical storm force winds, nearly all of the damage arose from the extraordinary rainfall and the resultant flooding and mudslides. Crop damage amounted to about $500,000, with most farmers reporting a total crop loss. Fifty-seven homes suffered major damage from mudslides and inundation, rendering them unlivable, and another 624 homes had minor damage. A road in Santa Rita collapsed as a pickup truck was crossing over it, damaging the truck. In southeastern Guam, a man died after driving his sport utility vehicle into water several feet deep at the Ylig River bridge in Yona. Total damage is estimated at $6,000,000. Rota: As with Guam, most of the damage on Rota resulted from heavy rain and high seas. High seas inflicted an estimated $1 million in damage on Rota's commercial port. The combined cost of debris cleanup and repairs to roads and bridges amounted to about $762,000, and crop loss was estimated at up to $500,000. No major damage was reported to homes, businesses or schools. Total loss: about $2,262,000. Tinian/Saipan: In contrast to Guam and Rota, high winds accounted for much of the damage to Tinian and Saipan. On Tinian, 4 homes were destroyed and another 24 suffered major damage. On Saipan, 4 homes were destroyed, 81 had major damage, and 101 homes had only minor damage. Only minor damage was done to the public schools on both islands. At the Saipan seaport, a derelict fishing vessel containing thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and oil sank during the storm. Over $300,000 in damage was done to Saipan's power system, with over 50 lines, 20 transformers and 6 poles needing repair or replacement. Crop loss amounted to about $518,000, with 90% of the banana trees being blown down. Total damage is estimated at $2,400,000. Alamagan/Pagan/Agrihan: All private homes on these islands were destroyed (about 6 total), all crops and stored food were lost, and the water supply was contaminated. On Agrihan, the main public facility, used as a dispensary, radio room, food closet and storm shelter, was heavily damaged. On Alamagan, the mayor's office radio antenna was blown away and never found. Total damage is about $500,000. Total damage for this typhoon/flash flood event is $11,162,000. Seven fatalities are associated with this event: 1 man was killed after driving into deep floodwater on Guam (see above), a man drowned in high surf on Guam the morning of the 28th (see separate event entry), and 5 men drowned while kayaking in Guam's rough waters on the 29th (see separate event entry).