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In 2008, five new names have been added to the name list for tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea. They are "Leepi", "Sanba", "Maliksi", "Mangkhut" and "Son-Tinh", replacing the old names "Xangsane", "Chanchu", "Bilis", "Durian" and "Saomai" respectively.
The meaning of the new tropical cyclone names and the countries/regions which proposed these names are as follows:
Name Meaning Country/region
which proposed
the name
Leepi Most beautiful waterfall Laos
in southern Lao
Sanba A tourist resort in Macao Macao, China
Maliksi Fast Philippines
Mangkhut A kind of fruit Thailand
Son-Tinh God of mountain Vietnam
According to the convention of the Typhoon Committee of the United Nations, the country or region which has suffered serious human casualties and economic losses from a tropical cyclone can propose to remove the name of the tropical cyclone from the name list.
In 2006, Typhoon Chanchu, the most intense tropical cyclone on record to enter the South China Sea in May, rampaged through the coastal areas of southeastern China. In the South China Sea, several Vietnamese fishing boats capsized in the fury of Chanchu. At least 44 fishermen were killed and more than 160 reported missing. In July, Severe Tropical Storm Bilis brought heavy rain and landslides to the northern part of the Philippines, resulting in 14 people killed, seven missing and 20,000 people left homeless. In August, Typhoon Saomai brought severe damage to Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangxi. At least 460 people were killed and the direct economic losses exceeded RMB23.8 billion. In September, Xangsane, which made landfall over central Vietnam after crossing the Philippines and dissipated in Thailand after moving inland, caused 42 deaths and the evacuation of 200,000 people. Typhoon Durian crossed the central part of the Philippines in November. Heavy rain associated with Durian triggered widespread mudslides in the region. Over 570 people were killed with 746 missing. The damage to crops was estimated to be US$10 million.
Apart from the five new names mentioned above, the English spelling of five tropical cyclones proposed by the Republic of Korea, namely, "Kaemi", "Chebi", "Noguri", "Changmi" and "Koni", is also slightly modified.
Information about the latest tropical cyclone name list together with the meaning of the names is available at the observatory's website (Chinese: www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/sound/tcname2008c.htm and English: www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/sound/tcname2008e.htm) for reference.
Ends/Thursday, May 29, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:01
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