6. Typhoon CONSON (Frank/07w) 
>> June 04-11, 2004
Conson: contributed by Vietnam, is a picturesque place in Haihung Province, consisting of a mountain, pine forest, streams, pagodas and many historical monuments.
Introduction
Typhoon Conson was the second tropical cyclone of the year to form in the South China Sea. It meandered close to Luzon for a day or so before accelerating northeastward and reaching a peak intensity of 95 kts, just short of major typhoon status. After threatening Taiwan, Conson passed over the southern Japanese islands before becoming extratropical over Honshu.
Storm Origins
Typhoon Conson started as an area of deep convection approximately 420 nm south-southeast of Hong Kong. Animated multi-spectral satellite imagery revealed a well-defined LLCC in association with this suspect area. It was first mentioned in JTWC's STWO at 0200 UTC on 4 June with poor potential for development. With a reasonably favourable environment to work in, the potential was raised to fair at 02/0600 UTC, and then upped to good at 04/1500 UTC. The first warning on Tropical Depression 07W followed at 1800 UTC with the system centred 260 nm west of Manila, Philippines.
Tropical Depression 07W meandered during the 5th roughly 250 nm or so west-northwest of Manila. It moved in a sort of loop-de-loop fashion, first towards the southwest and west before ending up on a slow eastward drift. Convection increased, mainly in the southern quadrants of the storm. Based on CI estimates of 30 and 35 kts, the system was upgraded to a minimal tropical storm at 05/1200 UTC. At the same time, PAGASA initiated warnings on the developing tropical system, christening it Tropical Depression Frank. Strengthening continued as Tropical Storm 07W/Frank began to curve onto a more northeasterly track with the MSW reaching 50 kts at 06/0600 UTC. The slow northeasterly heading took the cyclone as close as 160 nm west-northwest of Manila at 1200 UTC.
Synoptic History
The latest prognosis indicated that a ridge over the central Philippines was expected to build and gradually push the tropical cyclone northward into the vicinity of Taiwan. This was to be the case, but movement during the first part of the 7th was rather slow. At 0000 UTC on 7 June the newly-named (by JMA) Tropical Storm Conson lay 360 nm south-southwest of Kaosiung, Taiwan. Conson began to intensify more significantly and became a typhoon at 07/1800 UTC as it began to move at a faster pace towards the north.
At 08/0000 UTC Typhoon Conson/Frank was moving north at 8 kts with 65-kt peak sustained winds and located approximately 400 nm south- southwest of Taipei, Taiwan. Strengthening continued and the MSW reached 90 kts at 08/1800 UTC, a 10-kt increase for the 0600 UTC and 1200 UTC warnings, plus 5 kts during the next six hours. Animated infrared satellite imagery revealed a well-defined 8-nm diameter eye which became irregular and had expanded a little to 15 nm by 1800 UTC. The typhoon turned to a north-northeasterly to northeasterly heading which was to ultimately cause the storm (thankfully) to side-step Taiwan and spare the island the strongest winds.
The MSW of Conson was still at 90 kts at 09/0000 UTC, by which time it was centred 235 nm south of Taipei and moving northeastward at 11 kts. Satellite imagery revealed that the eye had faded somewhat, but it gradually reappeared during the morning and became an obvious feature again by 09/1200 UTC. Infrared enhancement revealed a warmer eye temperature at the time Conson reached its maximum intensity of 95 kts, and this was maintained for another six hours as the typhoon continued northeastward over the warm waters of the Kuroshio Current.
After 0000 UTC on 10 June Typhoon Conson began to weaken quite quickly and take on extratropical characteristics as it passed 35 nm northwest of Okinawa at 10/0600 UTC. Microwave imagery at 10/1200 UTC revealed a partially-exposed LLCC on the southern edge of the deep convection. By this time the MSW had dropped to 65 kts and Conson continued northeast- ward towards Japan at almost 20 kts. It was downgraded to a tropical storm at 1800 UTC, and extratropical transition was complete the next day at 11/0600 UTC, the time of the final warning issued by JTWC. Conson was then moving northeastward at 26 kts, being located 155 nm southwest of Kyoto, Japan, with the MSW estimated at 40 kts. The last reference to the ex-Conson low was in the 14/1200 UTC JMA bulletin when the system was approaching the Dateline.
The peak 10-min avg MSW and minimum CP estimated by JMA were 75 kts and 960 mb, respectively. Among the Asian TCWCs, NMCC's estimated peak MSW of 80 kts was the highest.
Meteorological Observations
The information in this section was sent by Huang Chunliang -- a special thanks to Chunliang for sending the data.
(1) Rainfall
(a) Philippines
0000 UTC 5 June - 0000 UTC 6 June:
WMO 98531 San Jose (12.4N, 121.0E, Alt 3 m) = 154.6 mm
0000 UTC 6 June - 0000 UTC 7 June:
WMO 98426 Subic Bay (14.8N, 120.3E, Alt 19 m) = 230.0 mm
WMO ----- Clark AB (15.2N, 120.6E, Alt 155 m) = 135.0 mm
WMO 98324 Iba (15.3N, 120.0E, Alt 5 m) = 221.4 mm
0000 UTC 7 June - 0000 UTC 8 June:
WMO 98324 Iba (15.3N, 120.0E, Alt 5 m) = 112.4 mm
(b) Okinawa, Japan
(09/0000 UTC - 10/0000 UTC)
WMO 47936 Naha (26.2N, 127.7E, 28 m) = 212.5 mm
WMO 47918 Ishigakijima (24.3N, 124.2E, Alt 7 m) = 204.5 mm
WMO 47927 Miyakojima (24.8N, 125.3E, Alt 41 m) = 107.0 mm
(c) Taiwan
(08/1600 UTC-09/1600 UTC) CWB Station ID County Rainfall --------------------------------------------------------------- C1U68 Ilan 262.5 mm C0U64 Ilan 245.5 mm C1U67 Ilan 181.5 mm C1U69 Ilan 163.0 mm
Note: The 24-hr rainfall accumulations recorded in Ilan County can be considered as the storm totals.
(d) Japan (Kyushu)
(10/0000 UTC - 11/0000 UTC)
WMO 47837 Tanegashima (30.7N, 131.0E, Alt 18 m) = 277.5 mm
WMO 47909 Naze (28.4N, 129.5E, Alt 7 m) = 130.0 mm
WMO 47830 Miyazaki (31.9N, 131.4E, Alt 9 m) = 117.0 mm
(2) Wind Observations
Miyakojima, Okinawa (ROMY / WMO47927 / 24.8N 125.3E / Alt 40 m)
Peak sustained wind: 57 kts (SSW) [09/1900Z]
Peak gust: 100 kts (SW) [09/1850Z]
Another sustained wind: 52 kts (SSW) [09/1850Z]
Kumejima, Okinawa (ROKJ / WMO47929 / 26.3N 126.8E / Alt 4 m)
Peak sustained wind: 52 kts (SE) [10/0200Z]
Peak gust: 89 kts (SE) [10/0155Z]
Ishigakijima, Okinawa (ROIG / WMO47918 / 24.3N 124.2E / Alt 6 m)
Peak sustained wind: 49 kts (NNW) [09/1540Z]
Peak gust: 82 kts (N) [09/1520Z]
Naha, Okinawa (---- / WMO47936 / 26.2N 127.7E / Alt 28 m)
Peak sustained wind: 32 kts (S) [10/0250Z]
Peak gust: 54 kts (S) [10/0246Z]
Nago, Okinawa (---- / WMO47940 / 26.6N 128.0E / Alt 6 m)
Peak sustained wind: 31 kts (S) [10/0530Z]
Peak gust: 52 kts (S) [10/0528Z]
Tarama, Okinawa (---- / JMA93061 / 24.7N 124.7E / Alt 16 m)
Peak sustained wind: 74 kts (NW) [time unknown]
Another sustained wind: 58 kts (ENE) [09/1640Z]
Naze, Kagoshima (---- / WMO47909 / 28.4N 129.5E / Alt 3 m)
Peak sustained wind: 27 kts (S) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 75 kts (SE) [10/1223Z]
Yakushima, Kagoshima (RJFC / WMO47836 / 30.4N 130.7E / Alt 36 m)
Peak sustained wind: 48 kts (N) [10/2000Z]
Peak gust: 72 kts (NNE) [10/1949Z]
More gusts: 59 kts (NNE) [10/1910Z]; 68 kts (N) [10/1950Z]
Aburatsu, Miyazaki (---- / WMO47835 / 31.6N 131.4E / Alt 3 m)
Peak sustained wind: 42 kts (NNE) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 67 kts (NNE) [10/2207Z]
Tanegashima, Kagoshima (---- / WMO47837 / 30.7N 131.0E / Alt 17 m)
Peak sustained wind: 35 kts (NNW) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 79 kts (N) [10/2036Z]
Another gust: 58 kts (NE) [10/2000Z]
Kagoshima, Kagoshima (---- / WMO47827 / 31.6N 130.6E / Alt 4 m)
Peak sustained wind: 19 kts (NNE) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 39 kts (NNE) [10/1949Z]
Miyazaki, Miyazaki (---- / WMO47830 / 31.9N 131.4E / Alt 9 m)
Peak sustained wind: 16 kts (SW) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 31 kts (N) [10/2131Z]
Shimizu, Kochi (---- / WMO47898 / 32.7N 133.0E / Alt 31 m)
Peak sustained wind: 26 kts (W) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 61 kts (SE) [time unknown]
Another gust: 59 kts (SE) [11/0300Z]
Murotomisaki, Kochi (---- / WMO47899 / 33.3N 134.2E / Alt 185 m)
Peak sustained wind: 59 kts (ESE) [time unknown]
Peak gust: 76 kts (SE) [time unknown]
Another gust: 62 kts (SE) [11/0410Z]
Damage and Casualties
There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with Typhoon Conson.
(Report written by Kevin Boyle with significant contributions by Huang Chunliang)
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