Visualization: Super Typhoon Haiyan Path and Surge

By: Andy Cox and Chris Dolce

Published: November 13,2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approximate path of Haiyan through the Philippines.
Estimated center location on the morning of Nov. 8, 2013.

Sources: Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System

The map above shows the center of Super Typhoon Haiyan as it moved over the northern part of Leyte Island in the Philippines with estimated winds of 195 mph at landfall.
Typically, the worst impacts are felt in the right-front quadrant of landfalling tropical cyclones. In the case of Haiyan, this was just north of where the eye made landfall, including Tacloban City and Tanauan.
Haiyan's powerful winds helped send a very damaging storm surge into these locations. The darkest blue dots above are estimates of where the highest storm surge may have occurred. These estimates were made by computer models prior to when Haiyan made landfall.
Tacloban City's location at the top end of a bay makes it extremely vulnerable to storm surge flooding from landfalling typhoons with a path like Haiyan. You can see a closer view of this bay in relation to Tacloban City on the second interactive map below.
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The arrows show how storm surge was pushed into the bay north of where Haiyan made landfall, causing massive coastal damage.
Also, Haiyan's winds over land were capable of at least EF3 tornado damage, so locations inland from the bay also were heavily damaged or destroyed.