Typhoon Soulik, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Huaning, was a powerful tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in Taiwan and East China in July 2013. The storm originated from an upper-level cold-core low well to the northeast of Guam on July 6. Gaining tropical characteristics, the system soon developed a surface low and became a tropical depression early on July 7. Tracking generally westward, a motion it would retain for its entire existence, the depression underwent a period of rapid intensification starting on July 8 that culminated in Soulik attaining its peak strength early on July 10. At that time, the system had sustained winds estimated at and barometric pressure of 925 mbar (hPa; 27.32 inHg). Thereafter, an eyewall replacement cycle and cooler waters weakened the system. Though it passed over the warm waters of the Kuroshio Current the following day, dry air soon impinged upon the typhoon. Soulik later made landfall late on July 12 in northern Taiwan before degrading to a tropical storm. Briefly emerging over the Taiwan Strait, the storm moved onshore for a second time in Fujian on July 13. The system was last noted as a tropical depression early on July 14.
Striking Taiwan as a strong typhoon, Soulik brought gusts up to and torrential rains. Numerous trees and power lines fell, leaving roughly 800,000 without electricity. Severe flooding prompted thousands to evacuate as well. Four people lost their lives on the island while 123 more were injured. In East China, more than 162 million people were affected by the storm. Heavy rains and typhoon-force winds caused extensive damage and killed 11 people.
Meteorological history
On July 6, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began monitoring a mid- to upper-level low associated with an easterly wave roughly 1,390 km (865 mi) northeast of Guam. Though satellite analysis indicated no low-level circulation, atmospheric conditions favoured development over the following days. Early the next day, a broad surface low developed and scatterometer passes revealed strong easterly winds to the northeast of the center, which were expected to wrap into the system as it intensified. Despite still being a mostly cold-core system and considered subtropical by the JTWC, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression. Over the following hours, rapid consolidation of the low took place with deep convective banding features wrapping around the low and a distinct transition into a tropical cyclone. In light of this, the JTWC commenced advisories on Tropical Depression 07W. Situated to the south of a subtropical ridge, the depression tracked steadily west to west-northwest over a region of high sea surface temperatures and low wind shear.
Rapid deepening began on July 8 with an eye-like feature developing over the center. Additionally, the storm's westerly motion mitigated the negative effects of wind shear and its upper-level outflow greatly improved. The rate of strengthening surpassed constraints implemented within the Dvorak Technique, a tool used by meteorologists to estimate a cyclone's intensity based on satellite appearance. Both the JTWC and JMA estimated the system to have attained tropical storm status that morning, with the latter assigning it the name Soulik. Throughout the day, the storm's eye became increasingly defined on SSMIS satellite images and the system attained typhoon status within 24 hours of being named. Three tropical upper tropospheric troughs, two located to the northwest and one to the east of Soulik, greatly enhanced the typhoon's outflow and allowed for the development of a clear, 85 km (50 mi) wide eye which soon contracted to in diameter. Due to the cyclone's proximity to the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration also monitored the storm and assigned it the local name Huaning. Soulik ultimately attained its peak intensity early on July 10 with winds of and a barometric pressure of 925 mbar (hPa; 27.32 inHg). At this time, the JTWC estimated the storm to have been a Category 4-equivalent on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale with one-minute sustained winds of .