Severe Tropical Storm Meari, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Falcon, was an unusually large tropical cyclone that caused significant damage from the Philippines to the Korean Peninsula in June 2011. Meteorological history On June 16, a large, disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms developed in association with a weak area of low pressure well to the southeast of Yap. Gradually, the disturbance became more organized as it moved through an area of moderate wind shear, high sea surface temperatures (estimated at by satellites) and favorable diffluence. Further development of the low prompted the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) to issue a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on June 20. Around 1800 UTC, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) declared the system as a tropical depression. At this time, the depression was located roughly 405 km (250 mi) northwest of Palau. Tracking steadily northwestward in response to a ridge to the northeast, the depression crossed west of 135°E on June 21 and entered the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) area of responsibility. The storm was subsequently assigned the local name Falcon by PAGASA. Throughout the day, convection around the center of the depression increased and developed defined banding features along the storm's periphery. Aided by a tropical upper tropospheric trough to the east, outflow improved around the circulation. A large system, roughly 1,480 km (920 mi) wide, convection was slow to consolidate over the center which remained mostly cloud free. Microwave satellite imagery indicated that the system lacked strong inflow, leading to a disorganized structure. Due to its large size, slow intensification was expected over the following several days as the storm tracked generally northwestward towards Taiwan. Early on June 22, the depression intensified into a tropical storm, at which time the JMA assigned it the name Meari. Around the time it was upgraded, the storm had grown to a size that covered nearly the entire Philippine Sea. By June 23, convection began consolidating near the storm's center, indicating that the storm was intensifying. The following day, the JMA estimated that Meari strengthened to a severe tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds around 95 km/h (60 mph). Later that day, the storm's expansive windfield began to contract as an upper-level trough near Taiwan impinged on the western edge of Meari. Though the storm's overall structure degraded somewhat, surface observations continued to show intensification with a meteorological station on