Typhoons in Laos
Typhoons occurfrequently in Laos. On average, they happen about 9 times a year. The hardest hit regions are Xékong, Salavan and Attapu.The typhoon season in the Pacific usually begins with less severe storms in April and does not end until November. The most severe typhoons usually occur in August and September.
The most severe typhoon to make landfall in Laos in the past 12 months was »Noru«. It reached a wind speed of up to 120 km/h on September 28, 2022 at 10:00 am local time near Lamam and was 11 kilometers in diameter at the time. According to the internationally accepted Saffir-Simpson classification, this corresponded to a category 1 typhoon. On the open sea, speeds of up to 256 km/h were measured (category 5).
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Back to overview: Laos
Current satellite image of the western Pacific
31.05.2023 © CIMSS University of Wisconsin-Madison
Most violent typhoons in Laos since 2018
Nesat: October 14-20, 2022
Wind speed:
max. 165 km/h
on land:
max. 72 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1111 km
Air pressure:
below 964 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 2
Affected regions
Xékong
Salavan
Xékong
Salavan
Noru: September 22-28, 2022
Wind speed:
max. 256 km/h
on land:
max. 120 km/h
Diameter:
max. 556 km
Air pressure:
below 919 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
Affected regions
Xékong
Xékong
Rai: December 13-21, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 267 km/h
Diameter:
max. 185 km
Eye:
max. 74 km
Air pressure:
below 915 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
The typhoon did not make direct landfall in Laos. On December 19th, 2021 at 10:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 376 km west of Attapu.
Rai: December 11-21, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 263 km/h
on land:
max. 232 km/h
Diameter:
max. 833 km
Eye:
max. 74 km
Air pressure:
below 915 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 5
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Attapu
Xékong
Kompasu: October 10-14, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 100 km/h
on land:
max. 28 km/h
Diameter:
max. 519 km
Air pressure:
below 981 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xiangkhoang
Xiangkhoang
Kompasu: October 7-14, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 106 km/h
on land:
max. 102 km/h
Diameter:
max. 2222 km
Air pressure:
below 975 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Lionrock: October 2-10, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 74 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1241 km
Air pressure:
below 991 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Conson: September 6-13, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 111 km/h
Diameter:
max. 111 km
Air pressure:
below 989 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
The typhoon did not make direct landfall in Laos. On September 13th, 2021 at 7:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 109 km northwest of Lamam in Xékong.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Quang Ngai in Vietnam on September 11th at 4:00 pm.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Quang Ngai in Vietnam on September 11th at 4:00 pm.
Conson: September 5-13, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 120 km/h
on land:
max. 69 km/h
Diameter:
max. 500 km
Air pressure:
below 985 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Attapu
Xékong
Koguma: June 10-13, 2021
Wind speed:
max. 65 km/h
Diameter:
max. 778 km
Air pressure:
below 996 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Oudômxai
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Oudômxai
Vamco: November 8-16, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 207 km/h
on land:
max. 189 km/h
Diameter:
max. 778 km
Eye:
max. 56 km
Air pressure:
below 948 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 3
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Xiangkhoang
Attapu
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Xiangkhoang
Molave: October 21-29, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 189 km/h
on land:
max. 185 km/h
Diameter:
max. 889 km
Air pressure:
below 940 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 3
Affected regions
Attapu
Xékong
Attapu
Xékong
Saudel: October 16-26, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 133 km/h
on land:
max. 83 km/h
Diameter:
max. 889 km
Air pressure:
below 975 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Xékong
Salavan
Xékong
Salavan
Nangka: October 11-14, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 87 km/h
Diameter:
max. 833 km
Air pressure:
below 990 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Houaphan
Noul: September 14-19, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 87 km/h
Diameter:
max. 667 km
Air pressure:
below 991 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xékong
Savannahkhét
Xékong
Savannahkhét
Sinlaku: July 29 to August 3, 2020
Wind speed:
max. 83 km/h
on land:
max. 69 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1667 km
Air pressure:
below 985 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Xiangkhoang
Louangphabang
Xékong
Salavan
Khammouan
Xiangkhoang
Louangphabang
Nakri: November 4-11, 2019
Wind speed:
max. 120 km/h
Diameter:
max. 889 km
Air pressure:
below 975 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
The typhoon did not make direct landfall in Laos. On November 11th, 2019 at 1:00 pm it had the shortest distance at about 142 km southwest of Attapu.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Tuy H in Vietnam on November 10th at 7:00 am.
Instead, the first landfall occurred near Tuy H in Vietnam on November 10th at 7:00 am.
Bulbul:matmo: October 28 to November 11, 2019
Region:
Bay of Bengal
Wind speed:
max. 139 km/h
on land:
max. 102 km/h
Diameter:
max. 704 km
Air pressure:
below 976 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
category 1
Affected regions
Attapu
Champasak
Attapu
Champasak
Wipha: July 29 to August 4, 2019
Wind speed:
max. 102 km/h
on land:
max. 87 km/h
Diameter:
max. 889 km
Air pressure:
below 983 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Houaphan
Oudômxai
Houaphan
Oudômxai
Mun: July 1-4, 2019
Wind speed:
max. 65 km/h
Diameter:
max. 1326 km
Air pressure:
below 992 mbar
Saffir-Simpson scale:
tropical storm
Affected regions
Xékong
Xékong
These evaluations are based on data from the National Centers for Environmental Information of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Individual data have been summarized or translated.