2012 Imaginary Lands of Nicholas Typhoon Season

The 2012 Imaginary Lands of Nicholas Typhoon Season was an above average event of an annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season includes all tropical cyclones that make landfall and/or affects regions of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas. The season has no definite start date, and may run year-round. However, most tropical cyclones are formed in May to November, with July to September being the most active in the season.

The 2012 season was a relatively active one, with 11 cyclones forming, 10 of those developed into a tropical storm, while 4 became typhoons, 1 became a super typhoon. On average, based on the past ten seasons from 2001 to 2011, 9.3 cyclones form each year, with 7.1 of them transforming to a tropical storm, 3.4 becoming typhoons, and 0.9 becoming a super typhoon.

The National Meteorology Bureau of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas (NMBILN) had issued a tropical cyclone forecast early in 2012, saying that there will be at least nine tropical cyclones triggering the locale to issue a tropical cyclone warning signal, and at least three will trigger a Signal No. 8 Gale or Storm signal or above in Nicholas City.

The University of Watersauga has also made similar predictions, predicting there will be at least eleven tropical cyclones affecting the territory, and three to five will trigger a Signal No. 8 Gale or Storm signal or above, with one reaching Signal No. 10 Hurricane in Nicholas City.

The first storm to affect Nicholas City and triggered a Signal No. 10 Hurricane was Severe Typhoon Kay-Dooblurvay. It was the latest first cyclone to form on record, but its remarkable strength brought devastating damages to Nicholas City and its immediate area. Several tropical cyclones have formed since, many of which misses Nicholas City. In early August, a powerful Category 4 super typhoon Eigen passed through 100 km within Nicholas City, and brought record-breaking damages and fatalities. In late August to early September, the double typhoon effect triggered inconsistent paths for Severe Typhoon Chi Wai and Typhoon Maple, allowing the longest streak of tropical rainy weather to occur in Nicholas City in record.

In addition to NMBILN issuing forecasts and maintaining storm statuses for each storm, the NMBILN has also partnered with the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) to provide tropical strength data for each cyclone. The peak strength rated by HKO is listed throughout the article.

Severe Typhoon Kay-Dooblurvay

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Severe Typhoon Kay-Dooblurvay (Traditional Chinese: 強颱風吉古拉斯) made a direct hit to the nation's capital, Nicholas City, where it had caused extensive damages. The capital region saw brief periods of hurricane-force winds on 13th June. Despite the prompt warning, the storm has still caused over 10 million USD in damage, with over 90 fatalities. The storm was nicknamed to be the "Killer" by the local residents who are affected by the storm.

It is also the first storm formed in the season.

Severe Tropical Storm Sze Nga

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Severe Tropical Storm Sze Nga (Traditional Chinese: 強烈熱帶風暴詩雅) was a short-lived severe tropical storm skimming off just around 500 km of the national capital area, bringing periodic heavy showers to the region right after a direct hit by Severe Typhoon Kay-Dooblurvay. It delayed the rescue works ongoing in the surrounding regions of the capital area due to its heavy rain bands.

It remained to be a severe tropical storm until making landfall some 600 km east of the capital region, and transformed into an extratropical cyclone, bringing rainy weather to the City of Watersauga.

Tropical Storm Freeland

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Tropical Storm Freeland (Traditional Chinese: 熱帶風暴費蘭) is a rare occasion that a tropical storm formed within 50 km of the national capital region. A wave of unsettled weather broke off from a front, and began to possess tropical characteristics beginning 5 July 2012, though this is debatable among different meteorologic agencies. The tropical wave briefly strengthened into a tropical storm, and later weakened as it was running in opposition of the trade winds, and wind shear had torn the storm apart.

Super Typhoon Eigen

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Super Typhoon Eigen (Traditional Chinese:超強颱風艾格) is the fourth storm to affect the national capital region. It formed some 2,000 km southeast of Nicholas City, and gradually strengthened into a super typhoon, passing within 125 km just southwest of the national capital region. The region's western quadrant, including the Nicholas M. Tam International Airport experienced the hardest hit, with wind speed recorded at one point exceeding 181 km/h, gusting up to 235 km/h. At the point it made landfall, a 10-minute sustained wind speed of 198 km/h was recorded near its centre.

Despite the observation, the NMBILN refused to issue the highest tropical cyclone warning signal, and insisted with Signal No. 9 Increasing Storm or Gale for the capital region due to the eastern quadrant had experienced lighter winds (around 100 km/h). The public blamed this decision for causing widespread and extensive damages and fatalities of the storm.

Storm surge brought localized flooding and various cargos are washed into the sea shortly after the storm. The power plant located off shore on an isolated island is also heavily damaged, though electricity supply was not cut off during the storm. Originally forecasted to be a minor storm and far away from the national capital region, a lot of people were not prepared for such an intense storm event. This, in turn, caused a $23.5 million USD damage in the national capital area, over 136 lost their lives, and 300 stranded and homeless after the storm.

Eigen contained so much power, it retained tropical storm strength three days after making landfall, making Eigen one of the longest lasting tropical cyclone on land.

Eigen is also the most costly and the most deadly storm in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas's history. The United Nations (World Meteorological Organization, WMO) announced on 1 September, that the name "Eigen" is retired and never to be used again due to its excessive damage in Nicholas City. Approximately 10% of Nicholas City's built-up area are completely or nearly destroyed. The city declared a state of emergency at 9 AM on 9 August 2012, and subsequently lifted on 23 August 2012 as rescue works are nearing the end, rebuilding starts, and residents are back to normal lives.

Tropical Storm Inahu

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Tropical Storm Inahu (Traditional Chinese: 熱帶風暴銀牙護) is a tropical storm that barely affected the national capital region, and brought minimal damage to the location where it made landfall on 14 August 2012, some 600 km east of Nicholas City.

Severe Typhoon Chi Wai

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Severe Typhoon Chi Wai (Traditional Chinese: 強颱風志偉) is a severe typhoon that affected Nicholas City two different times due to the Fujiwhara effect (double typhoon effect) with Typhoon Maple.

The storm briefly hit Lovia, the island nation off the coast of the City of Watersauga, as a Category 1 Typhoon, causing 5 deaths and 21 casualties before weakening into a severe tropical storm. It then re-strengthened into a typhoon shortly after leaving the nation.

The first time it hit Nicholas City was as a full-fledged severe typhoon, passing 300 km within the city, causing some damage, including interrupting power supply as crews were replacing the damaged power plant from Super Typhoon Eigen with a temporary one. The formation of Typhoon Maple allowed Chi Wai to make a loop southward, orbiting around Typhoon Maple, and finally affecting the national capital region for the second time, bringing drenching rainfall to the city before making landfall as a severe tropical storm at around 550 km west of Nicholas City.

Typhoon Maple

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Typhoon Maple (Traditional Chinese: 颱風麥佩爾) formed from a tropical wave off the Pacific Ocean, and quickly went through an explosive intensification as it received energy from Severe Typhoon Chi Wai when Chi Wai was undergoing an eye wall replacement cycle. The Fujiwhara effect allowed the dynamic path of the typhoon, making both typhoons passing through 350 km within Nicholas City's boundaries simultaneously, bringing storm-force winds and heavy rainfall.

Maple quickly made landfall on 4 September. While it maintained its tropical storm strength, it transformed into an extratropical cyclone on 6 September. The cyclone covers a large portion of southern Imaginary Lands of Nicholas, creating the rainiest two-week period for Nicholas City. Rain is still falling as of 13 September in Nicholas City (and has been on and off since 30 August), and to date, over 1,300 mm fell in the city, 10 times of the normal rainfall. Though rain is gradually tapering off, it has already caused localized flooding in many areas across the city.

Severe Tropical Storm Soa

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: 

Severe Tropical Storm Soa (Traditional Chinese: 強烈熱帶風暴蘇亞) was the eighth storm that affected the kingdom. Developed off a tropical wave, it moved very slowly throughout its course, retaining tropical storm strength for most of its life. It strengthened into a severe tropical storm prior to making landfall with that strength on 13 October 2012, at only a mere 150 km away from Nicholas City.

Soa brought gale to storm winds across the city on Saturday, but quickly weakened as it moved inland. There was not a lot of moisture encapsuled in the storm's area, and Nicholas City mostly saw total rain amounts just under 100 mm over the duration of the storm.

Soa later merged with an extratropical cyclone inland, continuing bringing rain to the capital region.

Tropical Depression Nine

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: None

On 22 October 2012, an area of disturbance formed in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,000 km southwest of Nicholas City. The National Meteorology Bureau of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas (NMBILN) has issued an advisory late in the day saying the area has a LOW chance of developing into a tropical cyclone. This was upgraded to a MEDIUM chance in the afternoon of 23 October. In the evening of 23 October, the NMBILN has upgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression, and numbering it 009.

The tropical depression has strengthened to near tropical storm strength briefly in the early hours of 24 October, before weakening to below the threshold of a tropical storm again later that day. The depression has since been moving slowly east-northeasterly into the 800-km radius of Nicholas City, but is not making any threat to land for now. No tropical cyclone warning signal has been issued.

The depression moved onshore towards Nicholas City. Winds were generally strong (41 - 62 km/h) in strength, and the city saw 70 mm of rain in less than 4 hours, prompting an Amber Rainfall Warning to be issued on Saturday. No tropical cyclone warning signal were issued throughout the system's duration.

Tropical Storm Colin

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: None

The storm developed on 26 October 2012, and strengthened into tropical storm status by 29 October, and was named Tropical Storm Colin (Traditional Chinese: 熱帶風暴歌連). Due to non-favourable conditions of wind shears, the storm quickly teared apart and weakened late on 31 October, downgraded to a tropical depression on the same day. It dissipated quickly as it moved onshore near Midway Special Region early on 3 November, bringing heavy thundershowers to the area and to Nicholas City. The Red Rainstorm Alert was issued in Nicholas City, however, no tropical cyclone warning signals were issued as winds generally was less than 41 km/h.

Severe Tropical Storm Sunor

 * Highest tropical cyclone warning signal issued: None

Severe Tropical Storm Sunor (Traditional Chinese: 新鑼) formed from a late season tropical wave about 1210 km south of the Torton Peninsula on 24 November. The National Meteorology Bureau of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas (NMBILN) issued an advisory on the day of 24 November saying the potential of a late-tropical storm forming, rating the chance as MEDIUM. This was amended to HIGH early in the morning on 25 November. In the afternoon, the wave was upgraded to a tropical depression, numbered "eleven".

The storm rapidly intensified late at night on 25 November when moving through very warm waters, along with favourable convection activities. The NMBILN upgraded the storm to a "tropical storm" in the afternoon on the 26th, and was then named "Tropical Storm Sunor". It was followed by another upgrade to "severe tropical storm" early in the morning of 27th. The peak sustained winds reached to a high of 95 km/h at 13:00 local time when it was situated a mere 900 km southwest of Nicholas City.

A sub-polar high in western Gravenhurst Region is pushing cold air towards the southern shores, and Sunor faced a large temperature difference from the two extremes of the storm. According to NMBILN, Sunor slowed down in movement late on the 27th, with convection activities beginning to diminish. Though the storm retains its strength, with the core sustained wind speed remained to be over 80 km/h. Frontal features became prominent on the 28th. The NMBILN pronounced the storm became extra-tropical on 29 November, while it is 730 km southwest of Nicholas City.

The storm began to turn in a north-northwesterly-direction later on the 29th as carried by the trade winds, transforming into a powerful extra-tropical storm, with heavy snow on the backside, and thundershowers inside the frontal area of the storm. This prompted NMBILN to issue a Winter Storm Warning to Nicholas City and vicinity, with heavy rain changing to heavy snow on 30 November, as the storm passes through the area south of Long Region, and north of Nicholas City. Originally anticipated to bring 15 - 25 cm of snow, in the end, only 10.3 cm recorded in Nicholas M. Tam International Airport, with a lot of precipitation fallen as ice instead. The backside of the system brought blizzard conditions to Nicholas City on 1 December, with high winds associated with the pressure difference. Light snow continued to fall to Monday morning with the associated upper level low to the system.

The storm moved inland into the western parts of Watersauga and the southern parts of Greater McCallister, and merged with an upper level low, officially dissipated.

Season effects
This table lists all the storms that developed in the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas basin, in the northern hemisphere, between 150°E and 120°W during the 2012 season. It includes their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, landfall location (in bold), deaths, and damages. All damage figures are in 2012 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm include when the storm was a precursor wave, or an extratropical low.


 * — denotes data not available, perhaps data is still enumerating.

External link

 * Official document tracking the storm compiled by NMBILN  (Traditional Chinese) 

This article is available in other languages: Chinese

2012年東夏颱風季