Portal:Tropical cyclones/Featured article/Typhoon Matsa

Typhoon Matsa near peak intensity

Typhoon Matsa (international designation: 0509, JTWC designation: 09W, PAGASA name Typhoon Gorio) was the second of eight Pacific tropical cyclones to make landfall on China during the 2005 Pacific typhoon season. The ninth tropical storm and fifth typhoon of the season, Matsa developed on July 30 to the east of the Philippines. Matsa intensified as it tracked northwestward, and attained peak 10-minute sustained winds of 150 km/h (90 mph) near Taiwan before weakening and striking the Chinese province of Zhejiang on August 5. The system continued northward into the Yellow Sea, and on August 7 Matsa became extratropical after again moving ashore along the Liaodong Peninsula. Matsa is a Laotian name for a lady fish.

In Taiwan, Matsa dropped torrential rainfall of up to 1270 mm (50 in), which caused mudslides and moderate damage across the island. Flooding from the rainfall contaminated some water supplies, leaving around 80,000 homes without water at one point; much of Taoyuan County (now Taoyuan City) was without water for at least 5 days. As in Taiwan, the typhoon dropped heavy precipitation in China, and in combination with strong winds destroyed about 59,000 houses and damaged more than 20,000 sq. km (7720 sq. mi) of croplands. Throughout the country, Matsa caused 25 direct fatalities and $18 billion (2005 CNY, $2.23 billion 2005 USD) in damage.

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