Typhoon Angela (1995) - Impact, Records, and Retirement

Impact, Records, and Retirement

More than 900 people perished due to the catastrophic typhoon. It wreaked havoc over Metro Manila, Calabarzon Region and Bicol Region. Initially it caused 9.33 billion pesos of damage, but later on it grew into 10.829 billion pesos.

Throughout the affected area, more than 96,000 houses were destroyed, along with bridges and roads. The worst impact was in the Southern Bicol Region. Impact was also significant in Manila, which Angela nearly passed right over, and Catanduanes. In Calauag, storm surge and flooding from a dam failure killed 121 people. In nearby Paracale, mudslides killed more than a hundred people. Power outages impacted one third of the country. After 11 years, Typhoon Xangsane also passed over Manila causing damages.

Angela's 872 mbar pressure reading makes it one of the strongest typhoons on record. While this is low by the standards of any sea-level location, it is still behind Typhoon Tip, the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded. However, Angela is an unofficial contender for world's most intense tropical cyclone. In a study utilizing the Dvorak technique for analysis of post-1987 typhoons, the authors concluded that Angela, Typhoon Megi and 1992's Gay were higher on the scale than Tip. The authors also thought that Angela may have been slightly more intense than Gay, and hence Tip.

Angela was the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since 1970's Joan. On a weather observatory on Catanduanes reported winds of 260 km/h (160 mph). This makes it the typhoon with third-highest windspeeds recorded in the Philippines.