Our knowledge of the history of typhoons goes back centuries. We do not know much about the early typhoons, but we know plenty now.
We now know the typhoon’s path and how fast it travels. Based on wind speed and devastation they cause, we know what happens when they hit the earth.
It is important that we remind ourselves of how destructive weather events such as hurricanes and typhoons can be as they continue to get worse.
Take a look below for our list of 10 of the scariest typhoons to ever make landfall.
1. Bess
Typhoon Bess hit Japan in 1982 and cut across Japan’s most populated areas.
Mount Hidegadake, in Nara, received peak rainfall totals of 42.4 inches in just 24 hours. Super Typhoon Bess caused $2.38 billion in damage and 95 deaths.
2. Jebi
Japan was still reeling from the effects of Typhoon Jebi, the most intense tropical cyclone to make landfall since Typhoon Yancy in 1993, which caused extensive damage in the Kansai region.
In spite of the low death toll, Jebi still caused $12.8 billion in damage. Making Jebi the third most expensive typhoon in history, behind only Mireille and Hagibis.
3. Tokage
In 2004, Typhoon Tokage struck Japan, killing more people than any other typhoon struck Japan in the past. Tokage was the last of three typhoons to strike Japan during the third quarter of 2004.
Over 18,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. The storm caused more than $2.3 billion in damages.
4. Karen
Karen was the most destructive typhoon to hit Guam and was considered one of the most destructive events of the island.
In the aftermath of the attack, more than 40,000 people were left homeless on Guam, and were evacuated to Hawaii, California, and Wake Island.
5. Forrest
In the history of Typhoons, Typhoon Forrest stands out by being the fastest growing typhoon ever recorded.
Over the course of one day, it went from tropical storm status to super typhoon status, bringing eleven inches of rainfall along with it as it damaged over 40,000 homes.
6. Megi
One of the more recent Typhoons on this list, Typhoon Megi struck the Philippines in 2010, and was a category 5 super typhoon.
In damage, it amounted to $255 million, making this the most expensive typhoon to ever hit the Philippines.
7. Wanda
Despite only being a category 2 typhoon, Wanda caused extensive damage to Hong Kong. Over 70,000 people were made homeless as a result of the storm.
8. Vongfong
Shortly before its peak intensity, Vongfong was classified as the sixth super typhoon of 2014. On a Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, Vongfong reached equivalent strength to Category 5 hurricanes, with 180-mile-per-hour winds, which it sustained for over 30 hours.
9. Nancy
Although Nancy did not do nearly as much damage as some of the other typhoons described here (we will discuss those later), she still holds her position here due to her incredible speed.
It also holds the record for the highest winds, at 215 MPH, as well as for the longest period of time as a category 5 storm.
10. Ida
The landslides caused by Typhoon Ida in 1958 destroyed over two thousand buildings and swept away hundreds of bridges. Over a mile high tide destroyed over 120,000 acres of rice fields. More than 1,000 people died as a result and over 12,000 people were left homeless.
