Typhoon Mike, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ruping, of 1990 was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Typhoon Irma in 1981 and Typhoon Nina in 1987. Forming from an area of persistent convection over the Caroline Islands, Mike was first designated on November 6, 1990 and moved generally westward. Later that day, the depression strengthened to Tropical Storm Mike near Yap. Mike became a typhoon early on November 9, and subsequently entered a period of rapid deepening. Late on November 10, the typhoon reached its maximum intensity of , as estimated by the Japanese Meteorological Agency. After weakening slightly, Mike made landfall in the central Philippines. The storm weakened considerably due to land interaction, only to briefly re-intensify on November 14. Typhoon Mike turned west-northwest and later north-northwest, avoiding land interaction with Vietnam. Vertical wind shear increased, and on November 15, Mike weakened below typhoon intensity. Early the next day, the storm passed over western Hainan Island, and degraded to a tropical depression that night. After briefly emerging into the Gulf of Tonkin, Mike passed over Northern Vietnam and southern China, where it dissipated on November 18.
During its formative stages, Mike passed just north of Palau. There, one person was hurt and around 90% of the banana and coconut crops were leveled. A total of 1,035 houses and 10 businesses were damaged. Damage on the island totaled $2 million, including $1.3 million in property damage. After striking the Philippines, the typhoon brought widespread damage and was considered the worst typhoon to hit the country since Typhoon Ike in 1984. In Cebu City, 88 ships sunk, the most ships ever sunk at the Cebu City harbor during a tropical cyclone. Power and phone lines were downed and the city lost access to drinking water for two days. Approximately 60% of all buildings were demolished and 28 people perished in the city. Nationwide, 748 people were killed while 1,274 others suffered injuries. A total of 1,900,000 t (2,094,390 short tons) of sugar crops were destroyed. A total of 630,885 homes were damaged and 222,026 houses were demolished, resulting in 1,110,020 people displaced. Offshore, 159 vessels sunk and 28 others were washed aground and damaged. Monetary damage was estimated at $446 million (₱10.8 billion), including $46.1 million (₱1.12 billion) from crops, $350 million (₱8.52 billion) from public infrastructure, and $49.9 million (₱1.21 billion) from private infrastructure. At the time, Mike was the costliest tropical cyclone listed in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's database, and as of 2014, is the seventh costliest typhoon to strike the country since independence in 1947. Elsewhere, 68 people were killed in Vietnam, but no damage was reported in China.
Meteorological history
Typhoon Mike originated from a persistent area of convection that was first monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) early on November 6. At midday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) followed suit. At 15:03 UTC on November 6, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert, after a rapid improvement in the system's convective structure and Dvorak estimates of T1.0/. Following an increase in the storm's convection and an expansion of its outflow, the JTWC upgraded the system into a tropical depression at 12:00 UTC on November 7. Several hours later, the JMA classified the system as a tropical storm. At 00:00 UTC on November 8, the JTWC upgraded the depression into Tropical Storm Mike.
After becoming a tropical storm, Mike tracked west-northwest under the influence of a subtropical ridge. The JTWC initially forecast Mike to track northwest over the Philippine Sea. Later in the morning hours of November 8, the JMA classified Mike as a severe tropical storm. Shortly thereafter, Mike entered a period of rapid deepening, aided by two dual outflow channels and a trough to the northeast. Due to the formation of an eye, the JTWC declared Mike a typhoon at 00:00 UTC on November 9, with the JMA following suit six hours later. Midday on November 10, Dvorak intensity estimates reached T7.0/ and satellite imagery indicated a diameter eye and good upper-level outflow. Based on this, the JTWC raised the intensity of Mike to , making Mike a super typhoon. At 18:00 UTC, the JTWC increased the winds to , marking a increase in wind speed, or a barometric pressure drop of in a two-day time period. Early on November 11, the JMA estimated that Mike attained its peak intensity, with winds of and a minimum pressure of .