Typhoon Pongsona (international designation: 0226, JTWC designation: 31W) was the last
typhoon of the
2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the costliest
United States disaster in 2002. The name "Pongsona" was contributed by
North Korea for the
Pacific tropical cyclone list and is the
Korean name for the
garden balsam. Pongsona developed out of an area of disturbed weather on
December 2, and steadily intensified to reach typhoon status on
December 5. On
December 8 it passed through Guam and the
Northern Marianas Islands while near its peak winds of 175 km/h (110 mph 10-min). It ultimately turned to the northeast, weakened, and became extratropical on
December 11.
Typhoon Pongsona produced strong wind gusts peaking at 278 km/h (173 mph 1-min), which left the entire island without power and destroyed about 1,300 houses. With strong building standards and experience from repeated typhoon strikes, there were no fatalities directly related to Pongsona, although there was one indirect death from flying glass. Damage on the island totaled over $700 million (2002 USD, $800 million 2007 USD), making Pongsona among the five costliest typhoons on the island. The typhoon also caused heavy damage on Rota and elsewhere in the Northern Marianas Islands, and as a result of its impact the name was retired.
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