Typhoon Janis

Pacific typhoon in 1992

  • Guam
  • Taiwan
  • Japan
Typhoon Janis (Gloring)
IBTrACSEdit this at Wikidata

Part of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Janis, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Gloring, was an early-season typhoon that struck Japan during August 1992. An area of disturbed weather formed near Pohnpei in late-July 1992, and after an increase in thunderstorm activity, a tropical depression developed on August 3. After passing near Guam, Janis tracked generally westward, and on August 5, the storm was believed to have attained typhoon intensity. After intensifying at a brisk pace, Janis attained peak intensity on August 6 near Okinawa. Thereafter, the typhoon began to weaken and accelerate as it recurved towards Kyushu, where it made landfall on the next day. Land interaction took its toll on the typhoon as it tracked northeast, paralleling the western coast of Honshu. On August 9, Janis transitioned into an extratropical low over Hokkaido.

Five fishing boats sank offshore Taiwan, where one fisherman was killed, and six others were listed missing. Typhoon Janis was the second of two consecutive systems to move over the Japanese archipelago, with Tropical Storm Irving preceding it. Nationwide, twelve fatalities were reported and another was initially reported as missing. Sixty-seven others sustained injuries. A total 1,561 houses were destroyed while 1,508 others were flooded. In addition, 47 ships and 4,802 ha (11,870 acres) were damaged. Strong winds and torrential rains resulted in 350,000 customers losing power. An eight-hour suspension of high speed rail to Kyushu stranded over 20,000 people at Hiroshima Station. Greater than 80 domestic flights in Kyushu were cancelled, leaving an estimated 45,000 travelers stranded. Damage was estimated at ¥74 billion ($584 million USD).[nb 1][nb 2]

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
circle Tropical cyclone
square Subtropical cyclone
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression