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Typhoon Nina (1975)
Encyclopedia
Super Typhoon Nina was a short-lived but intense super typhoon
that caused catastrophic damage and loss of life in China after causing the Banqiao Dam
to collapse. Over 171,000 people died because of the resulting flood
s, making it one of the deadliest tropical cyclones recorded in history . The collapse of the dam due to heavy floods also caused a string of smaller dams to collapse, adding more damage by the typhoon.
to a tropical storm and was named "Nina" then it began to turn to the northwest. A subtropical ridge prevented Nina from turning further north and it began to track west-northwest just before reaching typhoon intensity.
Nina underwent explosive development on the late hours of August 1. Aircraft reconnaissance reported a 64 hPa drop of pressure on the same day as well as August 2 with wind speeds increasing from a mere 65 kt (75 mph, 120 km/h) to 130 kt (150 mph, 240 km/h) during that period and it attained its peak intensity of 135 kt (155 mph, 250 km/h) later that day. The typhoon began to weaken as it approached Taiwan
, making landfall near the coastal city of Hualien as a Category 3 storm with 100 kt (115 mph, 185 km/h) winds.
The storm began to weaken as it battered across the island's central mountain range, sparing the most populated areas from the eyewall. It entered the Formosa Straits as a weak typhoon and the storm came ashore near Jinjiang
, Fujian
, China
. After moving toward the northwest and crossing Jiangxi
, it turned north on the night of August 5 near Changde
, Hunan
. A day later, the storm moved over Xinyang
, Henan
, and later at Zhumadian
, Henan
for three days, and the typhoon brought heavy rainfall, causing the infamous collapse of the Banqiao Dam
. The storm moved southwest on August 8, and dissipated soon afterwards.
remained open for international flights.
where 1631 mm (64.2 in) of rain fell, 830 mm (32.7 in) of which fell in a six hour span. These rains led to the collapse of the Banqiao Dam
, which received 1-in-2000-year flood conditions. In all, 62 dams failed during the disaster, causing large temporary lake
s and $1.2 billion (1975 USD) in damage.
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
that caused catastrophic damage and loss of life in China after causing the Banqiao Dam
Banqiao Dam
The Banqiao Reservoir Dam is a dam on the River Ru in Zhumadian Prefecture, Henan province, China. It infamously failed in 1975, causing more casualties than any other dam failure in history, and was subsequently rebuilt....
to collapse. Over 171,000 people died because of the resulting flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
s, making it one of the deadliest tropical cyclones recorded in history . The collapse of the dam due to heavy floods also caused a string of smaller dams to collapse, adding more damage by the typhoon.
Meteorological history
A well defined trough line extending southeastward into the Philippine Sea spawned a disturbance on July 29. After initial status as a disturbance, Tropical Depression 04W moved southwestward for 36 hours as the structure of the system began to organize. On July 31, the depression slowed down and began to rapidly intensifyRapid deepening
Rapid deepening, also known as rapid intensification, is a meteorological condition that occurs when the minimum sea-level atmospheric pressure of a tropical cyclone decreases drastically in a short period of time. The National Weather Service describes rapid deepening as a decrease of...
to a tropical storm and was named "Nina" then it began to turn to the northwest. A subtropical ridge prevented Nina from turning further north and it began to track west-northwest just before reaching typhoon intensity.
Nina underwent explosive development on the late hours of August 1. Aircraft reconnaissance reported a 64 hPa drop of pressure on the same day as well as August 2 with wind speeds increasing from a mere 65 kt (75 mph, 120 km/h) to 130 kt (150 mph, 240 km/h) during that period and it attained its peak intensity of 135 kt (155 mph, 250 km/h) later that day. The typhoon began to weaken as it approached Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, making landfall near the coastal city of Hualien as a Category 3 storm with 100 kt (115 mph, 185 km/h) winds.
The storm began to weaken as it battered across the island's central mountain range, sparing the most populated areas from the eyewall. It entered the Formosa Straits as a weak typhoon and the storm came ashore near Jinjiang
Jinjiang
Jinjiang City is a county-level city of Quanzhou Municipality in Fujian. It is located in the southeastern part of the province, on the right or south bank of the Jin River, across from Quanzhou's urban district of Fengze...
, Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. After moving toward the northwest and crossing Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
, it turned north on the night of August 5 near Changde
Changde
Changde is a city in the north of Hunan Province, China, with a population of 5,717,218 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 1,232,182 in the built up area made of 2 urban districts .-History:...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
. A day later, the storm moved over Xinyang
Xinyang
Xinyang is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Henan province, People's Republic of China, the southernmost such administrative division in the province.-Recent history:...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
, and later at Zhumadian
Zhumadian
Zhumadian is a prefecture-level city in southern Henan province, People's Republic of China. It borders Xinyang to the south, Nanyang to the west, Pingdingshan to the northwest, Luohe to the north, Zhoukou to the northeast, and the province of Anhui to the east.Its population is 7,230,744 at the...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
for three days, and the typhoon brought heavy rainfall, causing the infamous collapse of the Banqiao Dam
Banqiao Dam
The Banqiao Reservoir Dam is a dam on the River Ru in Zhumadian Prefecture, Henan province, China. It infamously failed in 1975, causing more casualties than any other dam failure in history, and was subsequently rebuilt....
. The storm moved southwest on August 8, and dissipated soon afterwards.
Taiwan
Upon making landfall in Taiwan, the storm brought winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) to places near the storm's eye. Wind gusts were also measured up to 222 km/h (137.9 mph). Widespread heavy rainfall, peaking around 700 mm (27.6 in), from the storm triggered deadly flooding and landslides which killed 29 people and injured 168 others. Reports from the island indicate that 3,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by the typhoon. In the city of Hualien alone, four people were killed, 561 homes were destroyed and 1,831 more were damaged. Across the island, domestic flights, trains, and bus services were all suspended due to the storm; however, Taipei Songshan AirportTaipei Songshan Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport or Taipei Sungshan Airport is a midsize commercial airport and military airbase located in Songshan, Taipei, Taiwan...
remained open for international flights.
Mainland China
Due to the interaction with the mountains of Taiwan, Nina weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall in mainland China. The storm crossed the coastline with winds of 110 km/h (70 mph); however, little damage resulted near where the system struck land. Further inland, the remnants of the storm produced widespread torrential rainfall, with more than 400 mm (15.7 in) falling across an area of 19,410 km2 (7,500 mi2). The heaviest rainfall was recorded along the Banqiao DamBanqiao Dam
The Banqiao Reservoir Dam is a dam on the River Ru in Zhumadian Prefecture, Henan province, China. It infamously failed in 1975, causing more casualties than any other dam failure in history, and was subsequently rebuilt....
where 1631 mm (64.2 in) of rain fell, 830 mm (32.7 in) of which fell in a six hour span. These rains led to the collapse of the Banqiao Dam
Banqiao Dam
The Banqiao Reservoir Dam is a dam on the River Ru in Zhumadian Prefecture, Henan province, China. It infamously failed in 1975, causing more casualties than any other dam failure in history, and was subsequently rebuilt....
, which received 1-in-2000-year flood conditions. In all, 62 dams failed during the disaster, causing large temporary lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s and $1.2 billion (1975 USD) in damage.