This timeline documents all of the events of the 2012 Pacific typhoon season. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator between 100°E and the International Date Line. During the season, 34 systems were designated as tropical depressions by either the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), or other National Meteorological and Hydrological Services such as the China Meteorological Administration and the Hong Kong Observatory. Since the JMA runs the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the Western Pacific, they assigned names to tropical depressions which developed into tropical storms in the basin. PAGASA also assigned local names to systems which are active in their area of responsibility; however, these names are not in common use outside of the Philippines.
For the PAGASA, 17 systems formed or entered in area of responsibility during 2012, which 7 of them directly made landfall over the Philippines. The season started by the formation of a depression on January 13, but the JMA reported that the season had started on January 1 by a tropical depression which formed on December 31, 2011. 7 typhoons underwent rapid deepening. From late August to September, three very powerful typhoons, Bolaven, Sanba and Jelawat, directly hit Okinawa Island successively. In October, the remnants of Severe Tropical Storm Gaemi arrived at the Bay of Bengal and re-intensified into a deep depression before making landfall over Bangladesh.
Timeline of storms
January January 1 0000 UTC - The 2012 Pacific typhoon season officially starts, as the same tropical depression which formed from December 31, 2011, reaches peak intensity. 0600 UTC - The JMA stops monitoring on the tropical depression.
January 13 0900 UTC - By the JMA, a non-tropical system formed and intensified to a tropical depression which was located several kilometers east of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2100 UTC - The tropical depression's circulation became exposed as it started to weaken.
January 14 0300 UTC - The system finally dissipated affecting Malaysia with heavy rainfall.
February February 17 0300 UTC - A weak tropical disturbance forms to the southeast of Manila, Philippines and the JMA upgraded it to a tropical depression. 1500 UTC - The JTWC designates it as Tropical Depression 01W as it was upgraded to a tropical depression. 2100 UTC - The JTWC made its final advisories on 01W 6 hours after designating, due to an increasing vertical windshear.
February 20 0600 UTC - The JTWC classified 01W that it had already dissipated on February 17, but the JMA considered it to dissipate on February 20.
March
There were no tropical updates during March 1–16.
March 17 1500 UTC - A tropical disturbance formed in the Philippine Sea and the PAGASA classified it as a low-pressure area.
March 19 2100 UTC - The LPA crosses the Philippines as it weakened slowly.
March 23 0300 UTC - The LPA intensifies again but it becomes a tropical disturbance. 1500 UTC - The weak disturbance enters a place of favorable conditions and warm waters to develop into a tropical storm.
March 24 0000 UTC - JMA considers the disturbance a tropical depression. 1800 UTC - Due to windshear, the depression's circulation weakened as the JMA downgraded it to a disturbance.
March 26 0300 UTC - The disturbance intensifies into a tropical depression again by the JMA.
March 28 0000 UTC - JTWC issues a TCFA Warning to the depression. 0600 UTC - The JTWC upgrades the depression to Tropical Depression 02W. 2100 UTC - Both the JMA and JTWC upgrades the depression as Tropical Storm Pakhar.
March 30 0900 UTC - Pakhar becomes a Category 1 typhoon by the JTWC as a ragged eye developed. 1800 UTC - Pakhar reaches peak intensity and weakens due to land reaction and colder sea-surface temperatures.
April April 1 1200 UTC - Pakhar makes landfall in Vietnam.
April 2 0600 UTC - Both agencies rapidly downgrades Pakhar to a tropical depression. 1500 UTC - The remnants of Tropical Depression Pakhar finally dissipates.
May May 20 0300 UTC - The JMA issues warning on a medium-sized tropical depression located southeast of Guam. 2100 UTC - JTWC had its first advisory on the depression, with the latter designating it as 03W.
May 22 0300 UTC - Both agencies upgraded the system to Tropical Storm Sanvu.
May 23 0600 UTC - JTWC upgraded Sanbu into a minimal typhoon as a small, ragged eye formed. 2100 UTC - Sanvu intensifies into a severe tropical storm as it heads in a northwest track.
May 27 0300 UTC - Both agencies made a warning that Sanvu had already weakened to a tropical storm, due to cool waters. 1800 UTC - The JTWC and JTWC made their final advisories on Sanvu as it becomes extratropical.
May 29 1500 UTC - The remnants of Sanvu had completely dissipated as it crosses the International Dateline. - A disturbance forms northwest of Palau.
May 31 0300 UTC - JTWC issues a TCFA alert of the disturbance. 0900 UTC - With the PAGASA, it was classified as an LPA and was upgraded to Tropical Depression Ambo. 1200 UTC - The JMA and JTWC upgrades Ambo to a tropical depression, designating it as 04W.
June
June 1 0600 UTC - Due to strong convection wrapping Tropical Depression Ambo, the JMA classified 04W as Tropical Storm Mawar.
June 2 0900 UTC - Mawar becomes a severe tropical storm by the JMA. 1200 UTC - JTWC classifies Mawar as a Category 1 minimal typhoon.
June 3 0300 UTC - Severe Tropical Storm Mawar becomes a typhoon. 1200 UTC - Typhoon Mawar becomes a Category 2 typhoon.
June 4 0600 UTC - The JTWC upgrades Mawar as a Category 3 typhoon. 1500 UTC - Due to the subtropical jet stream, the JTWC downgrades Mawar back to a Category 2.
June 5 1500 UTC - Both agencies rapidly downgrades Mawar to a tropical storm and becomes extratropical.
June 8 0300 UTC - The remnants of Mawar finally dissipates. 1500 UTC - JTWC monitors a small, weak tropical disturbance located near Pohnpei.
June 11 0000 UTC - The JMA and JTWC upgrades it to Tropical Depression 05W as it slowly intensifies. 2100 UTC - 05W becomes a tropical storm by the JTWC, but not by the JMA and being named.
June 12 0600 UTC - JMA names it as Tropical Storm Guchol as it starts its rapid deepening phase.
June 14 0300 UTC - Guchol intensifies into a Severe Tropical Storm and a Category 1 typhoon, as it enters the PAR, naming it Butchoy. 1500 UTC - A tropical disturbance forms from the monsoonal trough east of Hainan, China. 1800 UTC - Guchol becomes a typhoon by the JMA. 2200 UTC - Typhoon Guchol becomes a Category 2 typhoon.
June 16 0900 UTC - JMA upgrades the disturbance to a tropical depression as it moves east slowly towards warm waters and favorable conditions. 1200 UTC - Typhoon Guchol becomes a Category 3 typhoon by the JTWC. 1500 UTC - Typhoon Guchol becomes a Category 4 typhoon by the JTWC. - Guchol becomes a super typhoon by the JTWC as it reaches its peak intensity.
June 17 0900 UTC - Guchol weakens as it undergoes an eyewall replacement cycle and was classified as a Category 2 typhoon. 1200 UTC - The JTWC classifies the depression as 06W. 1500 UTC - Both the JMA and JTWC upgrades Tropical Depression 06W to Tropical Storm Talim.
June 19 0600 UTC - Both the JMA and JTWC classified Guchol as a tropical depression and finally dissipated. 1500 UTC - The JMA classified Talim as a severe tropical storm, but the JTWC didn't upgrade it to a Category 1 typhoon.
June 20 0600 UTC - PAGASA reports that Tropical Storm Talim entered the PAR, which gave the name Carina. - In the same time, PAGASA monitors an LPA located inside the PAR. 1800 UTC - Talim has weakened to a tropical depression by both agencies. 2100 UTC - Tropical Depression Talim exits the PAR as it weakened to a remnant low.
June 22 0000 UTC - The low-pressure area of Talim affects Japan.
June 24 0300 UTC - The JTWC upgrades the LPA in the PAR, a tropical disturbance.
June 25 0900 UTC - The tropical disturbance becomes a tropical depression by the JMA. 1500 UTC - JTWC upgrades it as Tropical Depression 07W as PAGASA classified it as Tropical Depression Dindo. 1500 UTC - Dindo intensified to Tropical Storm Doksuri. 1800 UTC - With the JTWC, they did the same of upgrading it to a tropical storm.
June 28 1200 UTC - Due to an unusual circulation and a very exposed circulation, the JTWC downgrade the storm to a tropical depression.
June 29 0600 UTC - Doksuri makes landfall on Guangdong, China. June 30 0900 UTC - The JMA made its last advisories on Doksuri as it weakened to an overland low.
July July 14 0000 UTC - The JMA monitors a tropical depression which had split from an upper level low. 1800 UTC - JTWC issues a TCFA alert on the depression. 2100 UTC - JTWC made warnings on the depression and upgraded it to Tropical Depression 08W.
July 16 0300 UTC - The JMA upgrades 08W to a tropical storm, naming it Khanun. - The JTWC also upgrades Khanun to a tropical storm. 0900 UTC - The JMA, JTWC and PAGASA monitors a small LPA, which split from upper level low of Khanun, becomes a tropical disturbance in the Philippine Sea. 1200 UTC - Khanun enters the corner of the Philippine area of Responsibility, with PAGASA naming it as Enteng. 2100 UTC - PAGASA makes its final update on Enteng as it exits the PAR.
July 17 1800 UTC - Khanun intensifies into a severe tropical storm. 2100 UTC - The disturbance moves west rapidly as it gathers strength over northern Luzon, Philippines.
July 18 0600 UTC - The disturbance was upgraded to a minor tropical depression by the JMA. 1200 UTC - Khanun weakens as it makes landfall over South Korea. 2100 UTC - Both the JMA and JTWC downgrades Khanun to a tropical depression.
July 19 0300 UTC - The remnants of Khanun dissipates.
July 20 0000 UTC - The JTWC issues a TCFA alert on the depression. 0300 UTC - The PAGASA classifies the depression as an Active Low Pressure Area (ALPA). 1200 UTC - Both the PAGASA and JTWC classifies it as a tropical depression, with PAGASA naming it as Ferdie and JTWC designating it as 09W.
July 21 0900 UTC - JMA upgrades Ferdie to Tropical Storm Vicente as it pushes north towards warmer waters. 1500 UTC - JTWC classifies Vicente as a tropical storm, so did the PAGASA. 1800 UTC - Due to strong convection and monsoon, Vicente starts its rapid intensification as it becomes a severe tropical storm.
July 23 0300 UTC - With low vertical windshear and drier air outflow, Vicente explosively becomes a Category 1 typhoon. 0900 UTC - Typhoon Vicente exits the PAR as it kills 2 people due to heavy flooding in the Philippines. 1300 UTC - JTWC classifies Vicente as a Category 3 typhoon. 1500 UTC - Typhoon Vicente reaches its peak intensity as a Category 4 typhoon, but JTWC didn't classified it as a super typhoon, due to land reaction. 2100 UTC - Typhoon Vicente rapidly weakens to a Category 2/1 typhoon.
July 24 0900 UTC - Vicente rapidly weakens to a tropical storm as it affects southern China. 1500 UTC - JTWC downgrades Vicente to a tropical depression.
July 26 0000 UTC - Tropical Depression Vicente rapidly weakens to a LPA. 0300 UTC - JTWC monitors a tropical disturbance located east of Visayas, Philippines and issues a TCFA. - Same with the PAGASA, they classified it as an ALPA. 0900 UTC - PAGASA rapidly upgrades it to a tropical storm, naming it Gener. 1200 UTC - Gener intensifies to Tropical Storm Saola. - In the same time, JTWC assigns Saola as Tropical Depression 10W, and rapidly a tropical storm.
July 27 0300 UTC - JMA monitors another tropical depression, which formed from a cold-core low located southwest of Minamitorishima. 0900 UTC - The JTWC classifies it as a tropical disturbance.
July 29 0000 UTC - Both the JMA and JTWC upgrades the depression to Tropical Storm Damrey. 0300 UTC - Saola intensifies into a severe tropical storm.
July 30