Hurricane in Guam, November 29 to 30, 2004

Name: Hurricane in Guam, November 29 to 30, 2004
Start: 2004-11-29T00:00
End: 2004-11-30T23:30
Location: Guam

November 29 to 30, 2004 · NWS GUA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: $50,000
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GUA wrote it up.

TYPHOON NANMADOLTropical Depression (TD) 30W began about 165 miles southeast of Satawal in Yap State at 0400 SST on the morning of November 29th. As TD 30W moved west-northwest, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Nanmadol later that morning at 1000 SST, and passed 60 miles south-southwest of Satawal that afternoon around 1300 SST. After reaching typhoon intensity that evening at 2200 SST, Typhoon Nanmadol passed 85 miles south-southwest of Faraulep at 2330 SST, then moved directly over Woleai early on the morning of November 30th at 0030 SST with maximum sustained winds around 80 mph. Nanmadol continued moving rapidly west-northwest at 25 to 28 mph the rest of that day, passing 55 miles southwest of Fais at 1230 SST, 55 miles southwest of Ulithi at 1600 SST, and just 20 miles northeast of Yap that evening at 1830 SST. By this time, maximum winds near the center were estimated at 90 mph, but Nanmadol's rapid movement kept the strongest winds in the northern semicircle of the typhoon, with much weaker winds south of the center. By 0400 SST the morning of December 1st, Typhoon Nanmadol was already 225 miles west-northwest of Yap, moving quickly away. During its quick traversal of Yap State, Nanmadol brought heavy rain and brief periods of tropical storm conditions to the islands it visited. Satawal/Faraulep: No observations were available. Winds were likely around 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph around the time of closest approach.Woleai: Wind measurements at Woleai were sporadic and unrepresentative, but the highest sustained winds were likely 55 to 70 mph between 2300 SST and 0200 SST on the 29th-30th. In the 24 hours ending at 1000 SST on the 30th, 6.05 inches of rain fell. No pressure measurements were available.Fais: No observations were available, but conditions were likely similar to those on Ulithi. Ulithi: The highest sustained wind at Ulithi's automated observing station was 47 mph from the east-northeast at 1400 SST on the 30th. The peak gust of 70 mph from the east occurred between 1400 and 1500 SST. Rainfall was relatively light, amounting to only 1.32 inches between 0000 and 1500 SST on the 30th. The barometer was inoperative. Yap: The highest sustained wind at the airport was 35 mph; from the northwest at 1750 SST on the 30th, and from the southwest at 1854 SST. The peak gust of 61 mph was from the west at 1806 SST. Rainfall was heavy, amounting to 7.43 inches in the 24 hours ending at 2200 SST on the 30th. The lowest sea-level pressure was 983.9 mb at 1750 SST. STORM EFFECTS AND DAMAGESatawal/Faraulep: There was little or no structural damage, but some banana and papaya trees were blown down. Breadfruit trees suffered moderate damage, with breadfruit being blown from the trees. Woleai/Fais/Ulithi: Most of the banana and papaya trees were blown down, and most of the breadfruit trees lost their fruit. Structural damage was minor. Yap: Little or no structural damage was reported. About 60% of the banana and papaya trees were blown down, and some breadfruit trees lost their fruit. Total damage from Typhoon Nanmadol is estimated at $50,000, nearly all crop damage.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS GUA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 28, 4:11 PM SST, 7 hours 49 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 28, 4:11 PM SST, 7 hours 49 minutes before

AREA SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
1 PM GUAM LST MON NOV 29 2004

WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC BETWEEN EQUATOR AND 25N FROM 130E TO 180.

TROPICAL STORM 30W (NANMADOL) IS LOCATED NEAR 6N148E...WHICH IS
AROUND 465 MILES SOUTH OF GUAM AND AROUND 610 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST
OF YAP. TS NANMADOL IS MOVING WEST AT 18 MPH WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 35 MPH. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TROPICAL STORM NANMADOL SEE
JTWC TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING ISSUED UNDER WMO HEADER WTPN31 PGTW.

A MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM AROUND 8N130E INTO TD 30W NEAR 6N148E
THEN SOUTHEAST TO THE EQUATOR AT 164E.

WIDESPREAD SHOWERS...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY WINDS
ASSOCIATED WITH TS NANMADOL ARE CURRENTLY BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND
11N FROM 139E TO 150E. THIS AREA IS SOUTH OF GUAM...CONVERGENT FLOW
INTO TS 30W IS ALSO PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN 5N AND 10N FROM 150E TO 160E. THIS AREA
EXTENDS ACROSS CHUUK AND POHNPEI STATES.

CONVERGENT LOW-LEVEL WINDS COMBINED WITH A SURGE IN THE WESTERLY
FLOW IS PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF
PALAU AND YAP BETWEEN 2N AND 7N FROM 134E TO 140E.

CONVERGENT TRADE-WINDS INTO THE EASTERN END OF THE MONSOON TROUGH
ARE PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF
MAJURO AND ACROSS KOSRAE BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND 7N FROM 162E TO
172E.

A SHEAR LINE REACHES FROM SOUTHEAST OF IWO JIMA NEAR 25N149E TO
18N130E. CLOUDINESS AND SHOWERS ARE FOUND ALONG AND WITHIN 200 MILES
NORTH OF THIS LINE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Nov 28, 6:02 PM SST, 5 hours 58 minutes before

PMZ161-171-172-291800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
300 PM GUAM LST MON NOV 29 2004

...TROPICAL STORM NANMADOL INTENSIFIES AS IT MOVES TOWARD YAP...

AT 0500Z...3 PM GUAM LST...TROPICAL STORM NANMADOL WAS LOCATED NEAR
6.6 DEGREES NORTH LATITUDE AND 148.5 DEGREES EAST LONGITUDE. NANMADOL
CONTINUES TO MOVE STEADILY WEST AND WILL BRING BAD WEATHER TO
ISLANDS IN CHUUK STATE AS WELL AS THE REPUBLIC OF PALAU.

...YAP..ULITHI..FAIS..SOROL..FARAULEP..WOLEAI..SATAWAL...
MOST ISLANDS IN YAP STATE ARE NOW UNDER A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING OR A TYPHOON WATCH. FOR MORE DETAILS...REFER TO PUBLIC
ADVISORY WTPQ31 PGUM AND LOCAL STATEMENT WTPQ81 PGUM.

...CHUUK..LUKUNOR..LOSAP..FANANU..SATAWAL..PULUWAT..ULUL...
SCATTERED LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND
SOUTHEAST WINDS 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 25 MPH WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT.

MONDAY RAINFALL TOTALS SO FAR ARE ONLY HALF AN INCH AT CHUUK
AIRPORT. HOWEVER...RESIDENTS ARE REMINDED TO WATCH OUT FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF RENEWED HEAVY RAIN TONIGHT...WHICH COULD ALLOW FOR
MUDSLIDES AND FLOODING. RESIDENTS SHOULD ALSO MONITOR THE LATEST
PRODUCTS ISSUED FROM THE CHUUK WEATHER OFFICE AND THE LOCAL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE UNTIL THE TROPICAL STORM HAS SAFELY
PASSED.

ROUGH SEAS AND HAZARDOUS SURF WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDWEEK.
INTER-ISLAND TRAVEL BY SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE AVOIDED UNTIL
WINDS...SEAS AND SURF SUBSIDE. SEE MICRONESIAN HIGH SURF ADVISORY
UNDER WMO HEADER FZPQ70 PGUM FOR MORE DETAILS.

...KOROR PALAU AND KAYANGEL...
SCATTERED LOCALLY HEAVY SHOWERS...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND
NORTHWEST WINDS 15 MPH INCREASING TO 25 TO 30 MPH TUESDAY. WINDS
WILL SHIFT SOUTHWEST AND WEAKEN WEDNESDAY WITH DECREASING SHOWER
ACTIVITY.

HAZARDOUS SURF AND ROUGH SEAS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MIDWEEK.
INTER-ISLAND TRAVEL BY SMALL CRAFT SHOULD BE AVOIDED UNTIL WINDS
...SEAS AND SURF SUBSIDE. SEE MICRONESIAN HIGH SURF ADVISORY
UNDER WMO HEADER FZPQ70 PGUM FOR MORE DETAILS.

STANKO

Event by event

1 hurricane (typhoon). Local standard time, as filed.

Hurricane (Typhoon), Micronesia

When: November 29, 12:00 AM SST to November 30, 11:30 PM SST
Where: Micronesia forecast zone
Crop damage: $50,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY

What these are

Hurricane (Typhoon): A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 64 knots (74 mph) or more, filed per forecast zone for its wind, and with separate events for its flooding, surge and tornadoes.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Guam in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, November 2004 The 2004 hurricane season

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5432272.