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Two tropical cyclones occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in December 2014.
Hagupit formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 1 580 km southeast of Guam early on 1 December. It moved west-northwestwards, intensifying into a tropical storm that afternoon. It continued to intensify in the next few days and developed into a super typhoon in the small hours of 4 December, with an estimated sustained winds of 250 km/h near its centre at peak intensity. Hagupit turned westwards in the next two days and gradually weakened. It moved across the central part of the Philippines on 7 December and became a tropical storm the next day. Entering the central part of the South China Sea on 9 December, it continued on a westward track and re-intensified into a severe tropical storm about 370 km north-northeast of Nansha on the night of 10 December. Moving west-southwestwards and weakening gradually, Hagupit finally degenerated into an area of low pressure as it approached the coast of southern Vietnam on the morning of 12 December.
According to press reports, at least 27 people were killed and over a million people had to be evacuated in the Philippines during the passage of Hagupit. There were also reports of widespread power outages and disruption in sea and air traffic.
Jangmi formed as a tropical depression over the western North Pacific about 1 350 km southeast of Manila on the night of 27 December and generally followed a west-northwesterly track. Moving across the southern part of the Philippines, Jangmi intensified into a tropical storm on 29 December and reached its peak intensity with an estimated sustained winds of 75 km/h near its centre. It drifted southwestwards on 30 December and weakened into an area of low pressure over the Sulu Sea the next day.
According to press reports, at least 21 people were killed in the Philippines during the passage of Jangmi.
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