Looking Back at Tropical Storm Bilis (credit: This Day in Weather History)

DISCUSSION: By going back to July 14th, 2006, we find ourselves at a fairly historic day in Western Pacific weather history.  On July 14th, 2006, we arrive at the landfall of Tropical Storm Bilis.  Though it not a particularly intense tropical cyclone, Bilis tracked across northern Taiwan before making landfall in southeastern China's Fujian province with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph. The storm causes at least 575 deaths in Fujian, Guangdong, and Hunan provinces and direct economic losses near $3.3 billion.  Thus, this was yet another classic example of a tropical cyclone which had severe impacts on both live and property while not being an intense storm.  This is a critical message for any and all people who live in or ever travel to tropical cyclone prone regions of the world.  Even if you are in the path of a weak tropical cyclone, it is imperative to understand that even a weak storm can have severe consequences on a given region based on heavy rainfall and even a minor storm surge in vulnerable regions.

To learn more about other past historic weather events from around the world, be sure to click here!

©2017 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz