Typhoon Jared (2020)

Typhoon Jared was a major typhoon that slammed into the Philippines on July 23, becoming the deadliest and costliest typhoon in Philippines history up until Noelani slammed into the region.

Meteorological History
On July 14, a low-pressure system produced a tropical depression approximately 500 miles east of Pohnpei Island, which developed into a tropical storm twelve hours later, due to SST's (sea surface temperatures) exceeding 90*F (32*C). The storm continued to intensify, reaching Category 2 force after another twelve hours of intensification, eventually hitting Pohnpei full force. The storm remained a low-end Category 2 hurricane for about two days, and it moved at a speed of 10 mph (16 km/h).

The storm continued to intensify, and on July 19, it was confirmed to be a super typhoon, after satellite readings indicated that Jared reached winds of 155 mph (250 km/h). The storm system continued to intensify, and by the following morning, Jared reached wind speeds estimated to be 210 mph (335 km/h), with a pressure of 863 millibars (making it the most intense tropical cyclone in world history) and a diameter exceeding 600 miles. Jared was moving at a speed of 20 mph (32 km/h) as it sustained super typhoon force for two days. On July 22, Jared first made landfall south of Guiuan, Eastern Samar at peak strength, with its 25-mile (40 km) radius of maximum winds sustaining winds in excess of 200 mph wreaking havoc all over the city. The storm system continued moving west-northwest at a speed of 20 mph, making landfall 15 miles south of Tacloban. The storm system moved through the Philippines, making landfall on several more islands before exiting the country on July 23 as a low-end Category 5 hurricane, with 165 mph (270 km/h) winds and a pressure of 907 millibars. The warm waters of the South China Sea (with sea surface temperatures estimated to be above 86*F, or 30*C) helped fuel the storm as Jared then hit the city of Da Nang, Vietnam, with winds of 175 mph (280 km/h). The storm then crossed into Laos as a Category 3 typhoon, dumping huge amounts of rain on the region. It then began to weaken, and it finally dissipated on July 26.

Federated States of Micronesia
Typhoon Jared was a Category 2 typhoon when it hit Pohnpei Island with 100 mph (160 km/h) winds and a storm surge of 12 feet. Its enormous size helped to produce major landslides and floods, killing a total of 25 people.

Palau
By the time Typhoon Jared reached maximum velocity, the storm system moved 40 miles north of Palau, putting the region in wind speeds exceeding hurricane force. The capital of the region experienced winds in excess of 80 mph (130 km/h), and swells exceeding 20 feet, killing 10 people. The total number of people killed reached 25 people.

Philippines
In preparation for Typhoon Jared, a total of 800,000 people were forced to evacuate, but hundreds of thousands were still trapped in the region. Typhoon Jared hit the Eastern Visayas region on July 22, with winds of up to 210 mph (335 km/h). The storm slammed into Guiuan at peak strength, producing a 20-foot storm surge that flooded hundreds of meters inland. The storm damaged even reinforced concrete buildings, killing hundreds. Out of a population of 50,000 people, over 350 perished in the city.

The storm then crossed into the island of Leyte two hours after making landfall. The storm produced a storm surge exceeding 30 feet (9 meters), which roared up through the San Juacito Strait, slamming into Tacloban, killing over 10,000 in the city alone, and flooding up to two kilometers inland. Approximately 90% of the city was devastated, according to the mayor of the city. Thousands more perished on Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar. The storm slammed into Ormoc City, killing another 1,000 in the city. The size of the storm meant that its heavy rains produced enormous floods, killing hundreds more. Typhoon Jared roared through the rest of the Philippines, killing thousands more.

All told, the storm killed a total of 20,000 people in the country, most on the island of Leyte. Damages exceeded $5 billion in the country, making this typhoon the deadliest, and costliest, Filipino typhoon in history.

Vietnam
Jared hit the city of Da Nang directly as a 400-mile-wide super typhoon, with wind speeds of up to 175 mph (280 km/h) and a storm surge of 23 feet (7 meters), killing over 2,000 in the city. Another 350 died from floods in the rest of the country. A total of $2 billion in damage occurred in the country.

Laos
Jared produced enormous floods in the country, killing a total of 900 in the region. Damages reached $1 billion.

Aftermath
The Philippines were overwhelmed by the typhoon, which left the economically important Central Philippines devastated. The country tried to fix up the mess, but it was only able to somewhat recover before other typhoons caused more problems in the region.

Vietnam and Laos were also economically damaged by the storm.