Typhoon Kinna

{{storm path|Kinna 1991 track.png}}

Typhoon Kinna formed in the western Caroline Islands in the Western Pacific monsoon trough, which extended across the Philippine Sea in early September. On September 8, synoptic data revealed that an area of low pressure was developing southwest of Guam. When satellite imagery showed an increase in convection near the low's circulation center, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) started tracking the system on September 9. An increase in organization prompted the JTWC to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the morning of September 10.{{cite report|title=Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1991|publisher=United States Navy, United States Air Force|url=http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1991atcr.pdf|author2=Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center|author=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|access-date=July 22, 2017|year=1992|archive-date=August 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813232009/https://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1991atcr.pdf|url-status=dead}} At noon, both the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and the JTWC upgraded the system into a tropical depression.{{cite report|author1=Kenneth R. Knapp |author2=Michael C. Kruk |author3=David H. Levinson |author4=Howard J. Diamond |author5=Charles J. Neumann |year=2010|work=The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS): Unifying tropical cyclone best track data|title=1991 KINNA (1991251N12138)|publisher=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society|access-date=July 29, 2017|url=http://www.atms.unca.edu/ibtracs/ibtracs_current/browse-ibtracs/index.php?name=v03r09-1991251N12138}}{{#tag:ref|Wind estimates from the JMA and most other basins throughout the world are sustained over 10 minutes, while estimates from the United States-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center are sustained over 1 minute. 10-minute winds are about 1.14 times the amount of 1-minute winds.{{cite book|author=Christopher W Landsea|author2=Hurricane Research Division|title=Frequently Asked Questions|chapter=Subject: D4) What does "maximum sustained wind" mean? How does it relate to gusts in tropical cyclones?|access-date=July 22, 2017|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/E7.html|date=April 26, 2004}}|group="nb"}} At the time, the depression was located approximately {{convert|460|km|mi|abbr=on|round=5}} west-northwest of Guam.{{cite report|author1=Hong Kong Observatory|author-link=Hong Kong Observatory|title=Meteorological Results: 1991|chapter=Part III – Tropical Cyclone Summaries|journal=Meteorological Results|year=1921|url=http://www.hko.gov.hk/publica/tc/tc1991.pdf|access-date=July 29, 2017|pages=15|publisher=Hong Kong Observatory}}

The depression initially tracked northwest due to a weak subtropical ridge to its north. At 00:00 UTC on September 11, the JTWC upgraded the depression into Tropical Storm Kinna,{{cite report|url=http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/best_tracks/1991/1991s-bwp/bwp191991.txt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100311024845/http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/best_tracks/1991/1991s-bwp/bwp191991.txt|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 11, 2010|title=Typhoon 19W Best Track|date=December 17, 2002|publisher=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|access-date=July 29, 2017|format=TXT}} with the JMA doing the same later that morning.{{cite report|author=Japan Meteorological Agency|date=October 10, 1992|title=RSMC Best Track Data – 1990–1999|access-date=July 29, 2017|url=http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/jma-eng/jma-center/rsmc-hp-pub-eg/Besttracks/bst9099.txt|format=.TXT|archive-date=January 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122183440/http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/jma-eng/jma-center/rsmc-hp-pub-eg/Besttracks/bst9099.txt|url-status=dead}}{{#tag:ref|The Japan Meteorological Agency is the official Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for the western Pacific Ocean.{{cite web|publisher=Japan Meteorological Agency|title=Annual Report on Activities of the RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center 2000|date=February 2001|access-date=July 29, 2017|url=http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/jma-eng/jma-center/rsmc-hp-pub-eg/AnnualReport/2000/Text/Text2000.pdf|page=3}}|group="nb"}} At 18:00 UTC, the JMA classified Kinna as a severe tropical storm. The development of a poorly defined eye within a central dense overcast prompted the JTWC to upgrade Kinna into a typhoon on the morning of September 12, although the JMA did not follow suit until 18:00 UTC. Also on September 12, a mid-tropospheric trough deepened over the East China Sea, which split the ridge near 125th meridian east. In response, Typhoon Kinna turned northward toward the break in the ridge and tracked across Okinawa. Shortly after becoming a typhoon, the eye crossed densely populated southern Okinawa. At 00:00 UTC on September 13, the JTWC and JMA estimated that Kinna attained peak winds of {{convert|105|and|90|mph|km/h|abbr=on|round=5|order=flip}}, with the latter estimating a minimum barometric pressure of {{convert|955|mbar|inHg|abbr=on}}. After recurvature, Kinna accelerated north-northeastward toward Kyushu as it maintained its intensity. Later on September 13, the typhoon's eyewall passed over the cities of Nagasaki and Sasebo on Kyushu. Kinna rapidly lost tropical characteristics as it tracked along the northern coast of Honshu. The JMA declared Kinna an extratropical cyclone early on September 14, with the JTWC doing the same several hours later. Its extratropical remnants were last witnessed on the evening of September 16 by the JMA.

Typhoon Kinna dropped heavy rainfall across much of the southern Japanese archipelago, with many places across the southwestern portion of the country receiving almost {{convert|6|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}} of rain per hour.{{cite news|title=Nine Killed As Typhoon Kinna Pounds Western Japan|agency=Associated Press|date=September 14, 1991}} A peak rainfall total of {{convert|338|mm|in|abbr=on}} occurred at Nanbu, including {{convert|330|mm|in|abbr=on}} in a 24-hour time frame.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=AMeDAS NAMBU (49316) @ Typhoon 199117|url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/amedas/graph.pl?number=49316&id=199117&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 2, 2017}} A peak hourly rainfall total of {{convert|147|mm|in|abbr=on}} was observed in Maebaru.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=AMeDAS NAZE (88836) @ Typhoon 199112|url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/amedas/graph.pl?number=82171&id=199117&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Further south, much of Okinawa received at least {{convert|8|in|mm|abbr=on|order=flip}} of precipitation. When the storm passed through southern Okinawa, a minimum surface pressure of {{convert|958|mbar|inHg|abbr=on}} was measured at Kadena Air Base, where sustained winds of {{convert|152|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} and gusts of {{convert|177|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} were also recorded. Nearby, winds gusting up to {{convert|175|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} occurred in Naha. Near where the storm made landfall, winds of {{convert|151|km/h|mph|abbr=on}} were measured in Maebaru.

As a result of the JTWC's accurate long-range forecasts, preparations to limit the amount of damage on Okinawa were made well in advance of Kinna's approach. Despite

the strong winds, damage to United States military installations on Okinawa was minimal. Nevertheless, Kinna was the most destructive tropical cyclone to strike Okinawa since 1987, and the first of typhoon intensity to pass directly across the island since Typhoon Vera in 1986. A 14-year-old middle school student was slightly injured due to broken glass.{{cite news|title=Typhoon Kinna Hits Okinawa, Three Fishermen Missing|agency=Associated Press|date=September 13, 1991}} All morning flights from Naha were canceled and afternoon flights were delayed.{{cite news|title=Typhoon Kinna hits Japan|agency=United Press International|date=September 13, 1991}}

Offshore, a boat capsized, which left one fisherman dead and two others initially missing. Prefecture-wide, two people were hurt and power lines were downed in 571 places. Damage was assessed at ¥791 million.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-936-07|url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-936-07&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}}

On Shikoku Island, roads were cut in 16 places in Tokushima Prefecture.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-895-14 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-895-14&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Two landslides occurred in Susaki. Crop damage in Kōchi Prefecture amounted to ¥2.86 billion, where roads were damaged in 116 places.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-893-12 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-893-12&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} A total of 7,907 individuals lost their homes in Ehime Prefecture. There, authorities estimated that damage totaled to ¥615 million.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-827-13 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-827-13&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} On the island of Kyushu, 210 homes were damaged in Kagoshima Prefecture. Damage there was estimated at ¥626 million.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-887-21 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-887-21&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} In the city of Kumamoto, a motorcyclist died after gusty winds knocked him off his bike. Throughout the surrounding Kumamoto Prefecture, damage exceeded ¥2 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-819-10 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-819-10&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Two people were killed in Nagasaki Prefecture when heavy rains flooded a barn while fifteen other people were also hurt. Moreover, 40 homes were damaged in the prefecture, displacing 40.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-817-15 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-817-15&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Five people suffered injuries in Oita Prefecture. Strong winds caused power outages to 19,000 dwellings. Damage there was estimated at ¥1.55 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-815-09 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-815-09&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} A mudslide destroyed a farm in Saga Prefecture, killing one man. Twenty others were also injured. A total of 58 homes were damaged and nine others were destroyed. Damage in the prefecture amounted to ¥28.1 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-813-05 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-813-05&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} In Fukuoka Prefecture, two people were killed by flying debris.{{cite news|last1=Hong|first1=KP|title=Typhoon Kinna Slams Main Island, Death Toll at Eight|agency=Associated Press|date=September 14, 1991}} There, 25 other individuals were injured. A total of 1,221 homes were damaged and 440 were destroyed while 9 embankments and 9 bridges were also damaged. There were 149 landslides. One electrical transmission tower was damaged, with two others destroyed. Damage across Fukuoka Prefecture amounted to ¥22.8 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-777-06 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-777-06&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}}

Heavy rains in Wakayama prefecture damaged three houses.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-807-10 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-807-10&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Around 1,000 households in Osaka prefecture were left without power due to strong winds.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-772-04 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-772-04&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Two people were wounded in Okayama Prefecture, where 506 schools were closed and 50 trains were cancelled.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-768-08 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-768-08&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} A senior woman died after a tree collapsed while she was waiting for a bus stop in Hiroshima Prefecture while three others were also injured. Strong winds caused 16,700 customers to lose power and 279 schools were closed in the prefecture. A total of 35 homes were damaged and another was demolished. Offshore, 114 ships were damaged. Officials estimate that damage in Hiroshima Prefecture amounted to ¥1.27 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-765-15 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-765-15&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} A 75-year-old man in Mikawa drowned in a river. Three people were seriously injured and twelve others were slightly injured in nearby Ogata. Heavy rains caused flooding, which damaged 53 homes were damaged, and 11 others were partially leveled in Yamaguchi Prefecture. There were 522 blackouts in the prefecture. Damage was estimated at ¥8 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-762-08 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-762-08&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Furthermore, 4,425 homes were left without power in Tottori prefecture.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-746-09 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-746-09&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} One person was wounded in Shimane Prefecture due to flying glass. A total of 245 houses were damaged and 137 others were destroyed. Damage there totaled 985 million yen.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-741-09 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-741-09&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}} Ten homes were damaged in Gifu Prefecture. Officials estimated that damage there reached ¥1.26 billion.{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=1991-632-02 |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/report.pl?id=1991-632-02&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}}

Nationwide, 11 fatalities were reported and 94 others sustained injuries. Nearly 50,000 households were left without power. Most of the damage occurred on Kyushu and on western Honshu. Almost 150 domestic flights were cancelled, which left 26,000 travelers stranded.{{cite news|title=Typhoon kills nine, injures 65|agency=Agency France Presse|date=September 14, 1991}} A total of 382 houses were destroyed while 2,586 others were flooded. Heavy rains triggered two hundred thirteen landslides and flooding washed out nine bridges. Forty-seven roads were damaged. Overall, 69 ships as well as {{convert|875|ha|acre|abbr=on|round=5}} of farmland were damaged. Monetary damage totaled ¥51.1 billion ($383 million).{{cite report|first1=Kitamoto|last1=Asanobu|title=Typhoon 199117 (Kinna) |url=http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/dsummary.pl?id=199117&basin=wnp&lang=en|website=Digital Typhoon|publisher=National Institute of Informatics|access-date=July 29, 2017}}{{#tag:ref|All currencies are converted from Japanese yen to United States Dollars using [https://www.measuringworth.com/datasets/exchangeglobal/result.php?year_source=1991&year_result=1991&countryE%5B%5D=Japan this] with an exchange rate of the year 1991.|group=nb}}{{#tag:ref|All damage totals are in 1991 values of their respective currencies.|group="nb"}}

{{Portal|Tropical cyclones}}

• Typhoon Zola (1990) - similar mid-season typhoon that struck Japan a year prior

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• {{Digital Typhoon|199117|KINNA}}

{{1991 Pacific typhoon season buttons}}

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