Tropical Storm, Micronesia
- When
- November 26, 10:00 PM GST to November 28, 6:00 PM GST
- Where
- Micronesia forecast zone
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- NWS Storm Survey
Tropical Storm in Guam, November 26 to 28, 2012
Tropical Depression 26W developed about 230 miles south-southwest of Pohnpei Island in Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia around 0400 GST the morning of 26 November. Initially, TD 26W moved west-northwest toward the island of Nukuoro, but after reaching a position 80 miles northeast of Nukuoro at 2200 GST the evening of the 26th it stalled, moving slowly and erratically about 70…
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- 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 GUM wrote it up.
Tropical Depression 26W developed about 230 miles south-southwest of Pohnpei Island in Pohnpei State of the Federated States of Micronesia around 0400 GST the morning of 26 November. Initially, TD 26W moved west-northwest toward the island of Nukuoro, but after reaching a position 80 miles northeast of Nukuoro at 2200 GST the evening of the 26th it stalled, moving slowly and erratically about 70 miles east-northeast to northeast of Nukuoro from 0400 GST the morning of the 27th until 2200 GST that evening. During that time, TD 26W intensified into Tropical Storm Bopha at 1000 GST. Bopha then started a steady westward track at 10 to 15 mph, passing 50 miles north of Nukuoro with maximum surface winds of 50 mph at 0400 GST on the 28th, then moving into Chuuk State around 1200 GST, about 100 miles northwest of Nukuoro. This track took Bopha quickly past the Mortlock Islands south of Chuuk, passing about 55 miles south of the island of Lukunor at 1300 GST the afternoon of the 28th with maximum surface winds of 60 mph. Tropical Storm Bopha moved quickly away from the Mortlock islands and Lukunor the rest of that afternoon and evening.
On Nukuoro, residents estimated winds at 30 to 45 mph from the morning of the 27th through the morning of the 28th. Rainfall and pressure measurements were not available. Some buildings sustained minor damage, and numerous crops were damaged or blown down; mainly bananas, papayas and bread fruit. Some minor coastal inundation was also reported. No injuries were noted. Total damage to buildings is estimated at $7,500, and to crops $2,500, for a total of $10,000.
On Lukunor and neighboring islands, winds were also estimated at 30 to 45 mph as Bopha passed on the 28th. No pressure or rainfall measurements were available. There were no injuries, but significant crop and plant damage was reported. Some buildings were damaged, and damage was reported to the sea wall and the dock. Total damage is estimated at $20,000, which includes $10,000 of damage to the dock, $7,500 to buildings, and 2,500 to crops.
Total damage is $30,000 for both places.
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 Guam wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 26, 7:50 AM UTC, 4 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 26, 7:50 AM UTC, 4 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...AMENDED TO ADD MICRONESIAN DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU 550 PM CHST MON NOV 26 2012 .SYNOPSIS... RADAR SHOWS ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS...MAINLY TOWARD SE. SATELLITE SHOWS FAIR WEATHER ACROSS THE LOCAL REGION. TD26W IS CENTERED NEAR 4N156E...GRADUALLY INTENSIFYING AND MOVING SLOWLY NW. && .DISCUSSION... LIGHT TO MODERATE NE TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE MARIANAS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MOST MODELS INITIALIZED DECENTLY AND INDICATE THAT TD26W WILL GRADUALLY INTENSIFY AND MOVE TOWARD W-NW. IT WILL LIKELY PASS SOUTH OF GUAM...BUT TD26W COULD START AFFECTING THE MARIANAS WITH CLOUDINESS AND BUILDING SEA CONDITIONS BY FRIDAY. AFTER FRIDAY...MODELS DIVERGE AND ITS DIFFICULT TO EVEN GUESS AT LONGER TERM FORECAST TRACK FOR TD26W. TD26W MIGHT CONTINUE MOVING TOWARD NW...OR CURVE NORTHWARD AS IT APPROACHES 140E...AND COULD EVENTUALLY MOVE NE ACROSS THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO WAVE GRIDS...MAINLY IN THE 5 TO 7 DAY RANGE FOR THE LIKELIHOOD THAT COMBINED SEAS FROM APPROACHING AND INTENSIFYING TD26W WILL BE LARGE ENOUGH NEAR THE MARIANAS FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY BY THEN. THE WW3 MODEL STILL SEEMS EXTREME AND MAINLY USED IT FOR TIMING GUIDANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS FOR SECONDARY NORTH SWELL. LATEST GFS WINDS ARE LOOKING A BIT MORE REALISTIC...SO WIND GRIDS WERE BLENDED WITH LATEST GFS DATA AND PREVIOUS FORECAST GRIDS. && .EASTERN MICRONESIA... THE CIRCULATION THAT WAS CENTERED SOUTH OF POHNPEI EARLY MONDAY MORNING HAS BECOME TROPICAL DEPRESSION 26W AND IS MOVING NORTHWEST AT AROUND 8 MPH. IT WILL CONTINUE AFFECTING POHNPEI WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY WINDS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. KOSRAE IS BEING AFFECTED WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. MAJURO HAS BENIGN CONDITIONS WITH MODERATE TRADE WINDS THROUGH SATURDAY. && .WESTERN MICRONESIA... THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE CHANGE TO MODEL FORECAST SOLUTIONS WITH RESPECT TO TD 26W. THE GFS STILL BRINGS IT NORTHWEST OF YAP ON OR ABOUT SUNDAY...BUT MUCH CLOSER TO YAP THAN EARLIER SOLUTIONS. THE OTHER MODELS HAVE MORE WESTERLY TRACKS THAN THE GFS. THE GFS AND UKMET SHOW HEAVY SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS DEVELOPING AT CHUUK ON TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AND LASTING THROUGH THURSDAY. THE PRESENT MOVEMENT ON SATELLITE OF TD 26W IS TOWARD CHUUK AT 8 MPH. && .GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GU...NONE. MARIANAS WATERS...NONE. && SIMPSON/DEVITA
Event by event
1 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Tropical Storm
- A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
More
Every storm in Guam in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Guam, November 2012The 2012 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: 421550.