Typhoon Minnie

Typhoon Minnie was a super typhoon that was notorious for devastating parts of Thailand, along with much of India and Bangladesh. The storm system killed millions of people in those countries. The storm system was up to 1,750 miles across at its widest, and the storm system also packed wind speeds of up to 415 mph (665 km/h) at its strongest.

Meteorological History
Typhoon Minnie formed from a small monsoon trough that was 180 miles southeast of Mindanao (located approximately at 5 degrees north of the equator), just as Typhoon Noelani was crushing the Marshall Islands. Low vertical wind shear, and ocean temperatures exceeding 104*F (40*C) caused the low-pressure to develop into a typhoon in just three hours. The storm system reached super typhoon status just nine hours after developing into a typhoon. The typhoon then continued to grow, while moving at a speed of up to 10 mph (16 km/h). The typhoon moved 50 miles south of Mindanao, but its enormous size (about 700 miles across) and strength (which was calculated to have winds of 325 mph and a pressure of 720 millibars) caused flooding and high winds in the country.

Land interaction, though, caused the typhoon to weaken, and by the time it passed through the Celebes Sea, Minnie was packing winds of up to 300 mph (480 km/h) and a pressure of 747 millibars. The typhoon slammed into the Sabah region of Malaysia on August 29, causing major damage in the region. The typhoon then crossed into an area of open water. The extremely warm ocean waters, which were estimated to be 104*F (40*C), with waters exceeding 95*F (35*C) extending over 200 feet down, caused the typhoon to quickly intensify. Typhoon Minnie grew into a 1,000-mile-wide (1,600-km-wide) typhoon in just 12 hours, and its movement increased to 15 mph (24 km/h). By the time it was done intensifying (about 1.5 days before it hit Southern Thailand), the typhoon had wind speeds of up to 415 mph (665 km/h) and a pressure of up to 630 millibars. The typhoon was also estimated to have had a diameter of up to 1,750 miles, making this typhoon a large typhoon indeed. Minnie made landfall in Chumphon province at peak strength. The typhoon caused major flooding in areas hundreds of miles north of the typhoon's eye, including Bangkok.

The typhoon passed over the region in just 4 hours, reaching the Andaman Sea on September 2, with winds of up to 350 mph (560 km/h). The typhoon started to intensify again, reaching wind speeds of up to 390 mph (630 km/h) and a pressure of 650 millibars, while it remained at a diameter of 1,500 miles. It slowed to a speed of up to 12.5 mph (20 km/h), while it gained energy from the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The typhoon stopped growing on September 7, and remained a super cyclone for several days. Eventually, it slammed into the West Bengal region on the night of September 11, putting its northeastern quadrant just east of Kolkata. The cyclone's winds were up to 350 mph (560 km/h), producing a storm surge of 200 feet (61 meters). The 30-mile-wide radius of maximum wind devastated everything in its path, killing millions of people. Bangladesh was affected by the typhoon as well. The storm eventually died hours after making landfall, when it passed over the Himalayas later on September 12. It was officially considered “dead” on September 13.

Philippines
When Typhoon Minnie intensified into a super typhoon, the storm's enormous rain bands caused major destruction in the Philippines, particularly in the Mindanao. The typhoon produced typhoon-force winds and heavy rain in the region. The region suffered over 1,000 deaths and nearly $500 million in damage.

Malaysia
Typhoon Minnie was an intense typhoon when it hit the Sabah Region of Malaysia, producing winds of 300 mph (480 km/h) in its 30-mile radius of maximum winds. The storm system produced winds as high as 80 mph (130 km/h) approximately 150 miles (240 km) from the eye, causing a storm surge exceeding 50 feet. The storm surge flooded up to ten miles inland, killing over 200,000 people in the region. Minnie caused a total of $100 billion in damage.

Vietnam
The storm system's rainbands and high winds caused major flooding in the country. Over 500 people perished in the country, and up to $1 billion in damage occurred.

Cambonia
The storm's rainbands produced gusts exceeding 120 mph on the coast, along with major swells exceeding 30 feet. The storm caused major flooding, killing thousands of people and causing billions in damage.

Thailand
Typhoon Minnie struck the Chumphon province region at peak strength, with wind speeds of up to 415 mph (665 km/h) in its 30-mile (48-km/h) radius of maximum winds. The storm system produced winds exceeding typhoon force up to 190 miles (305 km) from the eye, producing major floods as far north as Bangkok, leading to thousands of casualties in the region.

The worst, though, occurred in Southern Thailand. The high winds caused super typhoon-like damage in the province and in areas approximately 75 miles north of the eye. The storm system produced a storm surge that reached a height of 230 feet (70 meters). The storm surge affected areas dozens of miles from the eye, killing hundreds of thousands of people. It flooded up to twenty-five miles inland, causing total destruction. In total, over two million people perished in Thailand, and hundreds of thousands more are expected to die from disease and famine. Damages reached over $750 billion in damage.

Burma
The storm produced major rainbands, which caused major flooding in the country, which was affected by another devastating cyclone three months earlier. While the wind damage wasn't as extreme, the tides caused some problems for the region, but flash floods led to the most deaths, with over 100,000 people dead or injured. Damages reached into the billions.

India
Typhoon Minnie made landfall in the West Bengal region of India as a Hyper Cyclone (a hypercane that forms in the Indian Ocean) between 2300 hours local time on September 11 and 0030 hours on September 12. She had winds of up to 350 mph (560 km/h) or greater, with a diameter of 1,500 miles. The storm system produced a storm surge of 180 feet (55 meters), which flooded over 100 miles inland in some areas at up to 15 mph (24 km/h). The storm surge devastated large portions of India, while the winds devastated even the toughest of skyscrapers. Before making landfall, the storm's rainbands caused floods, storm surges, and high winds in excess of 100 mph (160 km/h), which caused millions of deaths and injuries all along India's east coast. The storm system caused major destruction all across the region, and a total of 40,000,000 people perished in and around West Bengal. Damages reached over $2 trillion.

Bangladesh
When Typhoon Minnie hit India, wind speeds exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h) extended as far east as Dhaka, causing major destruction in the region. The storm surge, which exceeded 25 feet in much of Bangladesh, slammed into Dhaka, causing thousands more casualties. The storm system produced massive amounts of river flooding, killing hundreds of thousands of more. In total, over 7,000,000 perished in Bangladesh, and damages reached over $150 billion in damage.

Nepal
As the storm passed through the Himalayas, it produced enormous amounts of rain, which produced massive landslides and floods that killed tens of thousands in Nepal. Damages reached into the billions.

Bhutan
The country of Bhutan was affected by high winds and heavy rain, leading to thousands of casualties. Damages reached into the billions.

Aftermath
Typhoon Minnie left much of India in ruins. Kolkata was completely washed away, and major portions of Bangladesh had literally been eroded away. The storm system left much of the region devastated. It will likely take decades for anything to return to normal. The typhoon also left Thailand and Malaysia economically devastated. It is also expected to take decades for the countries to return to normal.