Tropical Storm Pabuk (2019) facts for kids
Tropical Storm Pabuk was a storm that formed at the end of 2018 and moved into 2019. It was also called Cyclonic Storm Pabuk. This storm was special because it was the earliest storm ever recorded in both the Western Pacific and North Indian Ocean areas. Pabuk started as a small weather disturbance in the South China Sea on December 28, 2018. By December 31, it had grown into a tropical depression. It then crossed into the North Indian Ocean a few days later in January 2019. Pabuk was the very first storm of the 2019 typhoon and cyclone seasons for these regions.
How the Storm Moved
Pabuk began as a weather disturbance in the southern part of the South China Sea on December 28, 2018. It even absorbed parts of another storm called Tropical Depression 35W (Usman) on December 30. At first, the storm looked messy because of strong winds high up in the sky. But by December 31, it became strong enough to be called a tropical depression. Both the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) agreed on this.
The storm had good conditions to grow, like warm ocean water. However, strong winds high up in the sky kept it from getting much stronger for two days. Then, Pabuk started moving towards the west-northwest. On January 3, it entered the Gulf of Thailand. Here, the strong winds high up were a bit weaker, which helped the storm.
Soon after Pabuk moved into this new area, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) started tracking it. This made Pabuk the earliest cyclonic storm to form in this region. It was also the first named storm in this area that got its name from RSMC Tokyo. For the next few days, Pabuk kept moving west-northwest. But by January 7, it started to weaken and became just a low-pressure area. The leftover part of the storm then turned northeast. Finally, it completely disappeared on January 8.
What Happened Because of the Storm
Tropical Storm Pabuk caused some damage and problems for people. In total, 10 people sadly lost their lives because of the storm. The total cost of the damage was about $157.2 million (in 2019 money).
In Thailand, 8 of the 10 people who died were from there. Many trees were knocked down by the strong winds. A lot of people living near the coast in Thailand had to leave their homes to stay safe. In the big city of Bangkok, heavy rain and high water from the storm flooded many roads. One person who died in Thailand was a tourist from Russia.
More to Explore
Images for kids
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Satellite view from NASA showing how Pabuk changed over time.
