Typhoon Choi-wan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Ramon was an extraordinarily catastrophic and powerful typhoon, as well as being one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded; devastating portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in late-November 2015. It is the deadliest and costliest tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines in recorded history, and is the costliest tropical cyclone ever outside the United States. Choi-wan is also the strongest tropical cyclone to strike a major metropolitan area. It is also among the largest tropical cyclones in terms of gale-force wind diameter, surpassing Typhoon Tip in 1979.