Tropical Storm Son-Tinh (2018)

Tropical Storm Son-Tinh (Henry)
Tropical Storm Son-Tinh nearing Vietnam on July 18
Meteorological history
FormedJuly 15, 2018 (re-generated on July 21)
DissipatedJuly 24, 2018
Tropical storm
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Highest winds75 km/h (45 mph)
Lowest pressure994 hPa (mbar); 29.35 inHg
Tropical storm
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds95 km/h (60 mph)
Lowest pressure989 hPa (mbar); 29.21 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities173
Missingpossibly 1,100
Damage$323 million (2018 USD)
Areas affectedPhilippines, South China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar
IBTrACS

Part of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season

Tropical Storm Son-Tinh (transliterated from Vietnamese Sơn Tinh) , known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Henry, was a weak but very deadly tropical cyclone that devastated Vietnam and Laos in mid-July 2018. Son-Tinh originated from an area of low pressure over the Philippine Sea on July 15, 2018. Moving quickly westwards, Son-Tinh strengthened to the ninth tropical storm of the annual typhoon season on July 17. Intensifying only slightly while crossing the South China Sea, Son-Tinh made its first landfall over Hainan Island on July 18. After emerging into the Gulf of Tonkin, Son-Tinh restrengthened before making its second landfall as a tropical storm in Northern Vietnam on July 19. Once inland, Son-Tinh weakened into a low pressure area as it slowed and made a clockwise loop. The remnants of Son-Tinh then emerged back over water and regenerated into a tropical depression late on July 21.

The storm caused severe floods and mudslides in Vietnam, leading to the death of at least 32 people. Over 82,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of agricultural land was inundated and at least 17,000 farm animals were swept away by the floods. The storm also caused or related to the havoc in the neighbouring country of Laos with the collapse of Attapeu dam, in which 40 people died and 98 more missing (and probably as much as 1,100 more people are missing) and 6,600 more are displaced.