Typhoon Angela

For other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Angela and Typhoon Rosing (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with 1867 Angela typhoon.

Typhoon Angela (Rosing)

Violent typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 5 super typhoon (SSHWS)
Typhoon Angela at peak intensity nearing Philippines on November 1, 1995
Formed	October 25, 1995
Dissipated	November 7, 1995
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 215 km/h (130 mph) 1-minute sustained: 285 km/h (180 mph)
Lowest pressure	910 hPa (mbar); 26.87 inHg
Fatalities	936 direct
Damage	$315 million (1997 USD)
Areas affected	Micronesia, Philippines, South China, Vietnam
Part of the 1995 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Angela, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rosing, was a catastrophic Category 5-equivalent typhoon with 180 mph (290 km/h) sustained winds, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 1995. Typhoon Angela was the third storm in a row that struck the Philippines, following Yvette and Zack. Typhoon Angela was the twenty-ninth tropical cyclone, and the fifth super typhoon of the moderately active 1995 Pacific typhoon season.

Angela caused PHP 9.33 billion worth of damage across the Philippines, in addition to 882 fatalities. It was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines in 25 years, and the costliest in 5 years.

Meteorological History

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale

Map key

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

Tropical cyclone

Subtropical cyclone

Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

The monsoon trough that developed Yvette and Zack spawned another tropical depression on October 25 in conjunction with a tropical disturbance that originated in the Marshall Islands. It moved to the west, organizing very slowly to become a tropical storm on October 26. Two days later Angela became a typhoon, and from the October 31 to November 1 Angela rapidly intensified to a 180 mph (290 km/h) super typhoon; while Japan Meteorological Agency and Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported that it had reached its peak wind speeds of 130 and 112 mph (209 and 180 km/h), respectively. It maintained that intensity as it sliced westward, slamming the Philippines on November 2 as a slightly weaker 160 mph (260 km/h) typhoon. Angela continued to the west-northwest, where upper-level winds caused it to dissipate on November 7 over the Gulf of Tonkin.

Impact, records, and retirement

Angela approaching Luzon on November 2

Typhoon Angela packed winds of 115 knots when this shot was taken with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) from the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Columbia on October 30, 1995

More than 900 people died due to the typhoon. It wreaked havoc over Metro Manila, Calabarzon and Bicol Region. Initially it caused 9.33 billion pesos of damage, but later on it grew into 10.829 billion pesos.

Provinces that were under PSWS Signal #4 during the passage of Typhoon Rosing (Angela)

Throughout the affected area, more than 96,000 houses were destroyed, along with bridges and roads. The worst impact was in the Bicol Region. Angela passed almost right over Manila, causing a significant impact both there and in Catanduanes. In Calauag, storm surge and flooding from a dam failure killed 121 people. In nearby Paracale, mudslides killed more than a hundred people. Power outages affected one third of the country.

Angela's 872 (910 according to the JMA) mbar pressure reading makes it one of the strongest typhoons on record. While this is low by the standards of any sea-level location, it is still behind Typhoon Tip, the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded. However, Angela is an unofficial contender for world's most intense tropical cyclone. In a study utilizing the Dvorak technique for analysis of post-1987 typhoons, the authors concluded that Angela and 1992's Gay were higher on the scale than Tip. The authors also thought that Angela might have been slightly more intense than Gay, and hence Tip.

Angela was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since 1970's Joan. A weather observatory in Catanduanes reported winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). This makes it the typhoon with third-highest windspeeds recorded in the Philippines.

See also

• Typhoons in the Philippines
  • Typhoon Mike (Ruping, 1990)
  • Typhoon Xangsane (Milenyo, 2006)
  • Typhoon Bopha (Pablo, 2012)
  • Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda, 2013)
  • Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda, 2014)
  • Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy, 2009)
  • Typhoon Goni (Rolly, 2020) – had a similar track and landfall date (late-October to early-November) in 2020.
  • Typhoon Noru (Karding, 2022) – also took a similar track.

External links

• JMA General Information of Typhoon Angela (9520) from Digital Typhoon
• JMA Best Track Data (Graphics) of Typhoon Angela (9520)
• JMA Best Track Data (Text)
• JTWC Best Track Data of Super Typhoon 29W (Angela)