Typhoon Chataan path, 2002

What the record says

Chataan was a typhoon in the Western North Pacific basin that lasted about 16 days, from 27 June 2002 to 13 July 2002. Its peak was Category 4 (130 kt) on 7 July 2002, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 130 kt (150 mph, 241 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 930 hPa.

• Category 4peak intensity
• 130 ktpeak wind (150 mph)
• 930 hPalowest pressure
• 16 dayslifetime

Source of the peak wind: US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific). The regional forecast centre (RSMC Tokyo (Japan Meteorological Agency)) gave a peak of 95 kt on its own averaging convention (10-minute winds), so the two figures differ.

It has its own page because it reached category 4 or stronger.

This page gives the official record's figures. It does not describe the human cost of the storm, which is far larger than any wind speed or pressure here.

Where it came ashore

• 11 July 2002: Japan (51 kt)

A landfall here is the first tropical position over land after time at sea, so it is within about six hours of the real event. The record shows up to 8.

Countries it came within 50 km of

Strongest effect first.

• Guam
• Japan
• Federated States of Micronesia

US counties it came within 50 km of

• Guam, Guam

How to read this track

The line joins the storm's six-hourly positions with straight lines, coloured by its intensity at each point, so it shows how the storm strengthened and weakened. The real path curved between the positions. A dashed grey stretch means the storm had become post-tropical. Records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are estimates.

Source: NOAA NCEI IBTrACS, public domain. See data sources and caveats.