Name: Hurricane in Guam, September 1 to 2, 2004
Start: 2004-09-01T00:00
End: 2004-09-02T01:00
Location: Guam

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: $250,000
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 SONGDAAfter developing near Bikini Atoll on the evening of August 27th, Tropical Depression 22W moved steadily west-northwest, becoming Tropical Storm Songda the next morning. Songda continued west-northwest, and was upgraded to a typhoon the afternoon of the 29th, about 850 miles east of the Mariana Islands. Over the next two days, Songda intensified steadily as it moved west-northwest, passing 190 miles northeast of Saipan at 2200 SST on the 31st with maximum sustained winds near the center of 145 mph. It maintained that intensity as it passed just 20 miles northeast of Agrihan at 1200 SST on September 1st. Saipan, Tinian and Rota escaped with some tropical-storm-force gusts, but the far northern islands of Alamagan, Pagan and Agrihan experienced destructive typhoon conditions.Rota: The highest reported sustained wind on Rota was from the west at 35 mph at the airport at 1153 SST on the 1st, while the highest gusts, 49 mph from the west-southwest, were reported at the automated station at 1251 and 1351 SST. The lowest sea-level pressure was 1003.4 mb at 1552 SST on the 31st. No significant rainfall occurred. Tinian: The highest reported sustained wind was only 25 mph from the west at 0550 SST on Sep 1st, and the peak gust was 40 mph from the west-southwest at 0620 SST. The lowest reported sea-level pressure was 1001.4 mb at 1552 SST on the 31st. Rainfall amounts are unavailable. Saipan: At Saipan International Airport, the maximum sustained wind was 31 mph from the west at 0011 SST on the 1st. The peak gust, 38 mph from the west, occurred an hour and a half earlier at 2241 SST on the 31st. In the 24 hours ending at 0654 SST on the 1st, 2.50 inches of rain fell. The lowest sea-level pressure was 1001.5 mb at 0654 SST on the 1st. Pagan Island: Typhoon Songda passed 45 miles northeast of Pagan at around 0900 SST on September 1st. The automated station on Pagan recorded a maximum sustained wind of 53 mph from the west at 1100 SST, and a peak gust of 108 mph from the west-northwest an hour earlier at 1000 SST. The sustained wind appears underrepresented, given the peak gusts, and was likely near 80 mph. The lowest sea-level pressure of 971.1 mb occurred at 0900 SST. In the 24 hours ending at 1800 SST on the 1st, Pagan recorded 3.84 inches of rain. Agrihan: No wind measurements are available, but island residents estimated the sustained winds at 70 to 85 mph. However, given the measurements at Pagan and the fact that Songda passed only 20 miles from Agrihan, it is likely that sustained winds of over 100 mph occurred around 1200 SST on the 1st. Alamagan: No wind measurements are available, but island residents estimated the sustained winds at 80 to 100 mph. Given that Songda passed 60 miles northeast of Alamagan at 0600 SST on the 1st, winds were probably somewhat lower at 75 mph. STORM EFFECTS AND DAMAGERota/Tinian/Saipan: No injuries or significant damage were reported.Alamagan/Pagan/Agrihan: No deaths or injuries were reported on any of the islands. All homes and crops on the islands were a total loss. Coconut and breadfruit trees were stripped of leaves and fruit. Total damage is estimated at $500,000.

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 Aug 31, 4:01 PM SST, 7 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 4:01 PM SST, 7 hours 59 minutes before

AREA SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
1 PM GUAM LST WED SEP 1 2004

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

TYPHOON SONGDA IS CENTERED NEAR 19N146E AND IS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 8
MPH WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 145 MPH. HEAVY RAIN AND
THUNDERSTORMS BANDING INTO SONGDA EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 100 MILES
FROM THE CENTER. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND
FARTHER OUT TO AN AREA COVERING THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS BETWEEN
15N AND 21N FROM 141E TO 149E...AND EAST OF GUAM WITHIN 100 MILES OF
A LINE FROM 11N147E TO 14N152E. SEE NWS GUAM PUBLIC ADVISORY /WTPQ33
PGUM/ AND JTWC BULLETIN /WTPN33 PGTW/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE STRETCHES FROM A WEAK CIRCULATION
CENTER NEAR 9N169E EASTWARD TO 11N180. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND FROM KOSRAE TO KWAJALEIN WITHIN 100
MILES OF A LINE FROM 5N161E TO 9N166E. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALSO
OCCURRING ACROSS THE MARSHALL ISLANDS BETWEEN 9N AND 13N FROM 165E
TO 172E AND EAST OF MAJURO BETWEEN 5N AND 12N FROM 175E TO 180.

Event by event

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

Hurricane (Typhoon), Northern Marianas

When: September 1, 12:00 AM SST to September 2, 1:00 AM SST
Where: Northern Marianas forecast zone
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: $250,000
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

More

Every storm in Guam in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, September 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: 5432266.