2012 Pacific Typhoon Season - Storms - Tropical Storm Pakhar

Tropical Storm Pakhar

On March 17, a tropical disturbance formed northwest of Palau, and was located in an area of moderate vertical wind shear with unfavorable sea surface temperatures. Due to a high-pressure system extending into Vietnam, building up to the northeast of the system, the tropical disturbance slowly crossed the Visayas region and Palawan, during the next couple of days. On March 24, the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical depression, but downgraded it back to a tropical disturbance, on March 25, due to the collapsing outer rainbands, and the exposed low-level circulation center. Early on March 26, the JMA upgraded the tropical disturbance to a tropical depression again, because of low vertical wind shear and favorable sea surface temperatures, in the South China Sea, allowing the system to reorganize.

On March 28, the JTWC issued a TCFA on the tropical depression, as its LLCC began to consolidate more. Early on March 29, the JMA upgraded the tropical depression to a tropical storm, and named it Pakhar, because the storm's convection had completely wrapped around the circulation center. Early on March 30, the JTWC upgraded Pakhar to a Category 1 typhoon, as a banding eye formed. Because of land interaction and colder sea surface temperatures, the JTWC downgraded Pakhar to a tropical storm, early on March 31. On April 1, Pakhar made landfall near Vung Tau, Vietnam, and began to weaken. Early on April 2, the JMA reported that Pakhar had weakened into a tropical depression, before they reported later that day that the system had dissipated over Cambodia.

Although Pakhar did not affect the Philippines as a tropical cyclone, its precursor produced heavy rains across part of the nation. Flooding occurred in different parts of central and southern Luzon, and the northern Visayas region. In Basud, Camarines Norte, 128 families had to be evacuated due to flash flooding. A few landslides resulted from the rains, damaging or destroying a few homes. Throughout the affected region, five people were killed and three others were listed as missing. In Vietnam, four people were killed and several others were injured due to flash flooding and high winds. The hardest hit area was Khanh Hoa province where the storm made landfall. About 4,400 homes were damaged in the region by the storm and thousands of acres of rice paddy were flooded. In Ho Chi Minh City, officials reported that 600 homes and schools were destroyed. The remnants of the system brought rains to parts of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.