1988 Pacific Typhoon Season Article Index for
1988
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1988
 

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1988 Pacific Typhoon Season




The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the International Date Line . Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1988 Pacific Hurricane Season . Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical And Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.




STORMS

26 tropical cyclones formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 25 became tropical storms. 13 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached supertyphoon strength.


Typhoon Roy

Typhoon Roy, which crossed the open Western Pacific as a Category 4 hurricane in January, caused moderate to extensive damage across the Federated States Of Micronesia and the Philippines , causing $23.5 million (1988 USD) but only one death.


Tropical Storm Bill

Tropical Storm Bill, which formed on August 5 east of Taiwan , moved northwest to hit eastern China as a 45 mph tropical storm. Torrential rains and heavy flooding resulted in 110 casualties and widespread damage to roads and dams.


Typhoon Ruby


Typhoon Ruby, which developed east of the Philippines on October 20 , rapidly intensified to a 145 mph typhoon while approaching central Luzon . It hit on the 24th, and rapidly weakened to a minimal typhoon over the island. Ruby, with its disrupted circulation, remained weak over the South China Sea , and land interaction with Vietnam caused it to dissipate on the 28th. Ruby caused over 300 fatalities, with widespread flooding and damage over its track.


Typhoon Skip

Just 2 weeks after Ruby hit Luzon, Skip, which formed on November 3 , hit the central Philippines as a 145 mph typhoon. Ruby reached the South China Sea on the 7th, and steadily weakened until dissipation on the 12th. Skip was responsible for killing 104 people (with 95 missing) and extensive damage to the coconut, rice, and sugar crops.


1988 STORM NAMES

Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center . The first storm of 1988 was named Roy and the final one was named Val.


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