Typhoon Roy, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Asiang, was the second-most intense January tropical cyclone on record in the Western Pacific basin. Forming out of an area of disturbed weather on January 7, 1988, Roy quickly intensified as it moved through the Marshall Islands. By January 9, the storm intensified into a typhoon and attained its peak intensity the following day. At its peak, sustained winds reached . Slight weakening took place before the storm moved through the Mariana Islands. Continuing westward, the system eventually struck the Philippines as a minimal typhoon before dissipating over the South China Sea on January 19. Throughout its track, Typhoon Roy was responsible for two fatalities and $28.5 million (1988 USD) in losses, mainly in the Mariana Islands. Light to moderate structural damage took place across the Marshall Islands as the system moved through the region as a tropical storm. On January 12, the typhoon caused widespread damage to Guam and Rota as it brushed the two islands, destroying at least 200 homes. Meteorological history Typhoon Roy originated from an area of disturbed weather in early January 1988 in the central Pacific. Above average sea surface temperatures in the area allowed for gradual development as convection increased. By January 6, the JTWC began monitoring the disturbance for the possibility of it developing into a tropical cyclone; a mirror system was present in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time. The system south of the equator eventually developed into Tropical Cyclone Anne. By January 7, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression; shortly thereafter, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for the depression. Early on January 8, the JTWC issued their first advisory on Tropical Depression 08W, at which time the system was located near the Marshall Islands. Tracking nearly due west, the depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Roy six hours after the first advisory based on satellite data. By this time, the JMA had already classified Roy as a tropical storm. Continued deepening took place as the storm moved through the Marshall Islands; weather radar data from Kwajalein Atoll indicated the formation of an eye several hours after Roy was named; this was later supported by satellite information on January 9, at which time the storm was upgraded to a typhoon. Embedded within a moderate east-southeasterly flow along the south side of a subtropical ridge,