Typhoon Man-yi, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Pepito, was an extremely powerful, long-tracked, and destructive tropical cyclone that impacted the Philippines in mid-November 2024. Closely joining Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoons Kong-rey, Yinxing, Toraji and Usagi, Man-yi became the sixth and final consecutive tropical system to affect the country in less than a month. It was also part of the four tropical cyclones to simultaneously exist in the Western Pacific during the month of November, the first occurrence since records began in 1951; the other three were Yinxing, Toraji, and Usagi.
The twenty-fourth named storm, the third violent typhoon of the season, and the sixth super typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Man-yi originated from an area of convection east of Kwajalein Atoll on November 8. Satellite imagery showed a more organized low-level circulation center and persistent deep convection on the southwestern periphery. As the system moved northwestward, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded it to a tropical storm, naming it Man-yi, as the system passed Guam on November 13. After spending several days as a tropical storm, the JMA upgraded it to a minimal typhoon on November 15, with the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) following shortly thereafter. Early the next day, the JMA reported that the storm reached its peak intensity with ten-minute sustained winds of and a central pressure of . It subsequently peaked as a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with one-minute sustained winds of . As it moved west-northwestward, Man-yi made its first landfall in Panganiban, Catanduanes, later the same day. After making landfall in Catanduanes, the system slightly degraded in appearance, with the western half becoming less organized as it passed north of the Calaguas Islands. The eye of the typhoon had become more distinct, and its structure seemed to have recovered, with the development of a secondary eyewall, suggesting that the system was undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle, although the cycle could not be completed. The following day, Man-yi made its second landfall in Dipaculao, Aurora, on Luzon Island. The typhoon accelerated northwestward over the South China Sea, with its low-level circulation center partially exposed and fragmented convective bands occurring along the southern and eastern edges of the system. However, the storm rapidly deteriorated as it encountered a low-level northeasterly cold surge across the northern South China Sea and experienced increased vertical wind shear. The JMA continued to monitor it until it was last noted on November 20.
A tropical storm watch was issued for the Mariana Islands, prompting Guam to declare a state of emergency in preparation for the storm's arrival. A flood watch was also issued for parts of Guam and the Northern Marianas. In the Philippines, PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals in several areas, while PHIVOLCS issued warnings about potential lahar flows from the Taal, Pinatubo, and Mayon volcanoes. Man-yi dumped of rain on northern Luzon within 24 hours, prompting the National Irrigation Administration to open six gates of the Magat Dam after recording a water inflow of per second — higher than the recorded during Typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) in 2020.
Due to the extensive damage and loss of life, PAGASA retired the name Pepito from its rotating naming lists. It will be replaced with Puwok — the Ifugao deity of typhoons — for the 2028 season. In February 2025, the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee also announced the retirement of the name Man-yi from the naming lists for the Western Pacific. In March 2026, it was replaced with Dim-sum — a large range of small Chinese dishes — for future seasons. Overall, Man-yi was responsible for 14 deaths and approximately US$65 million in damages, particularly in Catanduanes and Nueva Vizcaya.
Meteorological history
Typhoon Man-yi emerged from an area of convection east of Kwajalein Atoll, with satellite imagery showing a more organized low-level circulation center and a persistent area of deep convection on the southwestern periphery on November 8. By 09:00 UTC, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a tropical cyclone formation alert for the disturbance, noting a favorable environment for development due to low to moderate vertical wind shear, good divergence aloft, and warm sea surface temperatures of . The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) designated the disturbance as a low-pressure area on the same day, and the next day, it was upgraded to a tropical depression. Later that same day, the JTWC assigned the system the designation 25W, noting that it was a consolidating system with formative bands wrapping in from the north and a deepening cold central core that was obscuring the low-level circulation.
As the system moved northwestward along the southern edge of a mid-level subtropical high, the JMA upgraded the system to a tropical storm named Man-yi at 06:00 UTC on the same day, with satellite imagery revealing a very compact system and the low-level circulation center partially exposed on the northwestern edge of a small central dense overcast (CDO). Man-yi wrapped around the northern and eastern quadrants of the circulation center, growing more intense as the vertical structure continued to align. The system became disorganized, with convection displaced to the southeast, but it eventually coalesced, as evidenced by cooling cloud tops in the central cold cover and a tightening wrap of the feeder band around the obscured circulation center as the system passed Guam on November 13. Early the next day, the JMA upgraded it to a severe tropical storm, citing Dvorak technique—a method of determining a tropical cyclone's intensity based on satellite appearance. It later moved into the Philippine Area of Responsibility, where PAGASA named it as Pepito. The storm displayed cooling cloud tops in its central cold region, with rain bands becoming more defined and tightening around the formation of a developing eye. On November 15, the JMA and the JTWC upgraded the storm to a minimal typhoon, with satellite imagery revealing a symmetric eyewall surrounding an oblong eye and spiral banding extending over the eastern semicircle.
Early the next day, the JTWC upgraded the system to super typhoon status, with estimated 1-minute maximum sustained winds of , making it a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon. Meanwhile, the JMA upgraded Man-yi to a violent typhoon, estimating its peak intensity with a minimum central pressure of and 10-minute maximum sustained winds of . The typhoon was characterized by a nearly symmetrical CDO extending , with the coldest cloud tops around . As it moved west-northwestward, Man-yi made its first landfall in Panganiban, Catanduanes, on November 16 at around 9:40 PM PHT (13:40 UTC). After making landfall in Catanduanes, the system slightly degraded in appearance, with the western semicircle becoming less organized and the cloud tops warming as it passed north of the Calaguas Islands. Soon after, the typhoon's eye became more defined, with its structure appearing to have recovered. A secondary eyewall also began to develop, indicating that the system was in the process of an eyewall replacement cycle, though the cycle was unable to complete. The following day, Man-yi made its second landfall in Dipaculao, Aurora, on Luzon Island at around 3:20 PM PHT (07:20 UTC) and quickly moved inland.
Man-yi accelerated northwestward over the South China Sea, with its low-level circulation center partially exposed and fragmented convective bands occurring along the southern and eastern edges of the system. Satellite imagery revealed a rapidly weakening system, with the low-level circulation center partially exposed to the south of intense deep convection, leading the JMA to report that the storm had weakened into a severe tropical storm at 12:00 UTC on November 18. The deep convection associated with Man-yi was able to wrap around, fueled by localized outflow from the convective activity as it moved west-northwestward along the southwestern edge of a mid-level subtropical high. Man-yi rapidly deteriorated as the storm encountered a low-level northeasterly cold surge across the northern South China Sea and experienced increased vertical wind shear. The storm became mostly exposed and embedded in the stratocumulus field associated with the northeasterly cold surge, resulting in the JMA reporting that it weakened into a tropical storm on November 19. The system became fully exposed, with the central convection completely eroded. The JTWC issued its final warning on the same day as the system weakened to a tropical depression, while the JMA continued to monitor it until it was last noted at 06:00 UTC on November 20.
Typhoon Man-yi was part of the four tropical cyclones to simultaneously exist in the Western Pacific during the month of November, the first occurrence since records by the JMA began in 1951; the other three were Yinxing, Toraji, and Usagi. The appearance of four tropical cyclones at the same time was also the first time that happened in any month since seven years.
Relation to climate change A study by World Weather Attribution in December 2024 examined the impact of six consecutive typhoons that had affected Luzon between late October and November, including Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoons Kong-rey, Yinxing, Toraji and Usagi, Man-yi. Using statistical modeling, scientists projected that a rise in sea surface temperatures would cause such an event to occur once every 15 years, with the likelihood increasing to every 12 years. They concluded that climate change has increased the probability of at least three Category 3–5 typhoons hitting the Philippines in a year.
Preparations Philippines Highest Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal
TCWS# Luzon Visayas Mindanao5 Southern Portion of Nueva Vizcaya, Southern Portion of Quirino, Central Portion of Aurora, Polillo Islands, Catanduanes, Calaguas Islands, Northern Portion of Camarines SurNoneNone4 La Union, Northern and Central Portions of Pangasinan, Southern Portion of Ilocos Sur, Rest of Nueva Vizcaya, Rest of Quirino, Northern and Eastern Portions of Nueva Ecija, Rest of Aurora, Southern Portion of Ifugao, Benguet, Northern Portion of Quezon, Camarines Norte, Central Portion of Camarines Sur, Northern Portion of AlbayNoneNone3Rest of Ilocos Sur, Rest of Pangasinan, Southern and Central Portions of Isabela, Eastern and Central Portions of Bulacan, Eastern Portion of Pampanga, Northern Portion of Zambales, Tarlac, Mountain Province, Rest of Ifugao, Southern Portion of Abra, Southern Portion of Kalinga, Central Portion of Quezon, Northern and Central Portions of Rizal, Northern Portion of Laguna, Northern Portion of Sorsogon, Rest of Camarines Sur, Rest of AlbayEastern and Central Portions of Northern Samar, Northern Portion of Eastern SamarNone2Ilocos Norte, Southwestern Portion of Cagayan, Rest of Isabela, Rest of Zambales, Bataan, Rest of Bulacan, Rest of Pampanga, Rest of Abra, Rest of Kalinga, Southern Portion of Apayao, Metro Manila, Cavite, Northern Portion of Batangas, Northern Portion of Laguna, Rest of Rizal, Rest of Laguna, Rest of Quezon, Marinduque, Burias Island, Rest of Sorsogon, Ticao IslandRest of Northern Samar, Central Portion of Eastern Samar, Northern and Central Portions of SamarNone1Babuyan Islands, Rest of Cagayan, Rest of Apayao, Rest of Batangas, Lubang Island, Northern and Central Portions of Occidental Mindoro, Northern and Central Portions of Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, MasbateBantayan Islands, Extreme Northern Portion of Cebu, Northern and Central Portions of Leyte, Northeastern Portion of Southern Leyte, BiliranNorthern Portion of Dinagat Islands