On September 9, the
Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) started to monitor an area of convection approximately to the east of
Palau. At the time, its low-level circulation center had been developing under persisting deep convection, and was under an environment of moderate to strong
vertical wind shear offset by strong, diffluent easterly flow. By the next day, the
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) had upgraded the system into a tropical depression. As it continued to organize, the JTWC issued a
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) on the system at 14:00 UTC on the same day. 7 hours later, the agency started issuing advisories on the depression, designating it as
17W. By September 11, the depression intensified into a tropical storm, with the JMA naming the system as
Sanba. The
PAGASA had also started issuing advisories on the storm, handing its Philippine name
Karen. Nine hours later, the JTWC also upgraded Sanba to a tropical storm, as its convective banding deepened and wrapped tighter to its low-level circulation center. As wind shear decreased, Sanba continued to strengthen as it moved northwestward. At 06:00 UTC on September 12, the JMA upgraded Sanba to a severe tropical storm. Six hours later, Sanba intensified into a typhoon, as it formed a pinhole
eye. Owing to favorable environment the storm was in, with
sea surface temperatures, low wind shear, radial outflow, an excellent poleward outflow being enhanced by a
tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT) to the northwest, as well as a subtropical low southeast of
Honshu, and an equatorial channel, Sanba then underwent
explosive intensification overnight on September 12, going from a Category 1-equivalent typhoon to a Category 5-equivalent
super typhoon on the
Saffir-Simpson scale in only 18 hours, with a -wide eye present on satellite imagery. Sanba ultimately reached its peak intensity at 18:00 UTC on September 13, with 10-minute sustained winds of and a central pressure of 900
mbar (
hPa, 26.58
inHg), according to the JMA. The JTWC estimated Sanba to have 1-minute sustained winds of 285 km/h (180 mph). It later weakened into a Category 4-equivalent typhoon at 15:00 UTC that same day, due to wind shear increasing once again as it continued northward. By the next day, it further weakened into a Category 3-equivalent typhoon, as dry air had started to encircle the system while it redeveloped its eye. A eye soon reappeared on satellite imagery, with the subtropical
jet stream enhancing its poleward outflow as it turned to the north-northwest under the influence of a deep-layered
subtropical ridge positioned to the east of Japan. Sanba later exited the
Philippine Area of Responsibility, with the PAGASA issuing its last advisory on the storm. At 6:30 am
JST on September 16 (21:30 UTC September 15), Sanba made landfall over
Okinawa. Sanba then further weakened to a Category 2-equivalent typhoon, as higher amounts of wind shear began affecting its northwestern quadrant, along with decreasing sea surface temperatures. As it continued weakening, the tight banding into its ragged eye began to unravel, with strong poleward outflow continuing to sustain the system as wind shear became even stronger as it got embedded into the subtropical jet stream. By the next day, it weakened into a Category 1-equivalent typhoon, as it commenced its
extratropical transition. Around 11:30 am
KST (02:30 UTC), Sanba made landfall over
Namhae County,
South Gyeongsang Province,
South Korea. The JMA downgraded Sanba to a severe tropical storm 3 hours later, before the JTWC subsequently issued their final advisory on the system. Turning to the north-northeast and emerging into the
Sea of Japan, Sanba further weakened into a tropical storm. By September 18, Sanba transitioned into an extratropical cyclone, as it moved over
Russia. ==Preparations and impact==