Typhoon Pabuk (2025) (Blackford)

Typhoon Pabuk, also known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ineng, was a devastating, deadly and powerful Category 5 super typhoon which caused severe impacts in the Philippines as a Category 4 super typhoon, and in China as a Category 3 typhoon in June of 2025.

Meteorological history
On June 13, a cluster of tropical thunderstorms formed east of Guam. Wind shear of 15-25 knots existed, which slightly prohibited further development.

However, early on June 14, a circulation was noted to be gradually organizing, and by noon on June 14, the system was noted as a tropical depression by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

The Japan Meteorological Agency followed suite 6 hours later, and by early on June 15, the system was named Tropical Storm Pabuk just northeast of Guam.

The storm rather rapidly moved west, into a further more favorable atmosphere, and by midnight on June 16, the system was a 60 mph tropical storm. Finally, early on June 18, the storm became a Category 1 typhoon, and with wind shear mostly topping out at 10 knots, and sea surface temperatures around 80°F, many were concerned for the potential for rapid intensification.

Late on June 18, this rapid intensification period began, with a eye becoming visible early on June 19.

The storm reached a initial peak as a 135 mph Category 4 typhoon early on June 19, before undergoing a eyewall replacement cycle and weakening to a 125 mph Category 3 typhoon, where it would remain for several days.

However, unusually warm eye temperatures existed during it's period as a Category 3 typhoon, with eye temperatures as high as 87.4°F, a near record-high eye temperature for a Category 3. It wouldn't be until June 23 when the storm re-intensified into a Category 4 typhoon. Japan Airlines Flight 731 crashed while on-route to Davao, Philippines from Osaka, Japan on June 23, wreckage from the aircraft was found in July, and it was determined that the aircraft likely crashed as it interacted with the very intense outer rain bands of Pabuk.

All 248 passengers and 10 crew were declared dead on July 16. The hurricane maintained a constant intensity of 130 mph until around noon on June 25, by this time the outer rainbands were already significantly impacting the Philippines.

The storm began to rapidly intensify on June 25, and peaked shortly after midnight on June 26 as a 175 mph Category 5 super typhoon.

Most models suggested a direct Category 5 landfall on the Philippines at this point, as landfall was only about 28-32 hours out. Signal #1 alerts were in place across much of the northern Philippines at this point.

However, a significant dry air injection occurred about 24 hours out, weakening the storm to a 155 mph Category 4 super typhoon, where it would remain until landfall.

The storm made it's first landfall shortly before sunrise on June 27 as a 155 mph Category 4 super typhoon on the far northern edge of Polillo Island. Devastating damage was documented here, with some damage suggesting Category 5 intensity.

The storm continued northwest, making another landfall during the afternoon hours of June 27, also as a 155 mph Category 4 super typhoon, this time near Dingalan, on Luzon Island.

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