TCAR - Typhoon Committee

Introduction
The Typhoon Committee Annual Review (TCAR) has
been published since 1985. From 1985 to 1994, the
Royal Observatory of Hong Kong provided a chief
editor for the preparation and publication of the annual
review. In 1995, the Typhoon Committee Secretariat
(TCS) took over the task of the publication of TCAR.
The Typhoon Committee, in its 39th Session held
in Manila, Philippines, from 4 to 9 December 2006,
appointed the Typhoon Committee Secretary as the
Chief Editor.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the activities
of the Typhoon Committee in 2009. It contains
detailed information of its Members’ respective
national programmes and activities related to
meteorology, hydrology, disaster prevention and
preparedness, training and research, as well as the
achievements of ESCAP and WMO related to water
resources management and disaster prevention
and preparedness. It also includes summary of the
activities of TCS undertaken in 2009.
Chapter 2 includes a summary of the 22 tropical
cyclones with tropical storm intensity or higher, in
2009. A new method of assigning Asian names to
tropical cyclones in the Western North Pacific and
South China Sea was implemented on 1 January
2000. Each tropical cyclone is identified by a fourdigit
code assigned by the Japan Meteorological
Agency (JMA). In accordance with the WMO Guide
to Marine Meteorological Sciences (WMO No. 471)
and WMO Manual on Marine Meteorological Services
(WMO-No. 558), the intensity of a tropical cyclone is
classified following the table below.
As the classification of tropical cyclones is not
the same in all TC Members, a table1 comparing
this classification in several Members, which also
includes the USA classification in North Atlantic, is
also presented below.
This chapter also includes the narrative accounts of
tropical cyclones in 2009 based on post analyses
submitted by Members. Each report includes an
account of the movement and intensity change of
the tropical cyclone. The extent of damage caused
1This table is the Annex I to the “Assessment Report on impacts of Climate
Change on Tropical Cyclone Frequency and Intensity in the Typhoon
Committee Region” to be published by Typhoon Committee in 2010.
TCAR
Introduction
by the tropical cyclone is documented as accurately
as possible utilizing available data supplied by the
national editors.
Sustained winds as referred to are wind speeds
averaged over a period of 10 minutes. The velocity unit
of kilometers per hour (kph) is used for wind speed as
well as speed of movement of tropical cyclones and
other weather systems. The SI unit of hectopascal
(hPa) is used for atmospheric pressure. Reference
times used in this Chapter are primarily in Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC). Whenever possible, station
names and numbers contained in WMO Weather
Reporting-Observing Stations (WMO-No. 9, Volume
A) are used for geographical references. Composite
tracks and satellite images of the tropical cyclones are
provided as well. Are also provided 00 UTC Sea Level
Synoptic Analysis Charts on the day, a day before and
a day after peak intensity was attained and upper air
charts referring to the day when maximum strength
was reached.
Chapter 3 consists of 12 contributed papers, which
were presented at the 42nd TCSession by Hong Kong,
China; Singapore; Macao, China; USA; Japan; China;
International Association for Wind Engineering; WMO/
WWRP THORPEX; JMA; Tropical Cyclone Panel of
WWRP/WMO. Chapter 4 provides the 2009 activities
of the WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme. The final
chapter consist of one Research Fellowship Technical
Report.
The TCAR has been published through the joint
support of ESCAP and WMO. It would have not been
made possible without the contributions of the National
Editors of Members of the Typhoon Committee.
Special thanks to TCS staff Mr. Leong Kai Hong
(Derek), meteorologist, Mr. Liu Jinping, hydrologist ,
Ms. Denise Lau, senior administrative secretary and
Ms. Lisa Kou senior finance clerk , for assisting in the
editorial work and layout.
Chief Editor
November 2010, Macao
2009
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