Severe Tropical Storm Koni, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Gilas, caused moderate damage to areas of China and Vietnam in July 2003. The eighth tropical storm in the western Pacific that year, Koni originated from a disturbance situated within the monsoon trough well east of the Philippines on July 15. Tracking westward, intensification was slow and the system remained a tropical depression as it moved across the central Philippines on July 17. Upon moving into the South China Sea, however, conditions allowed for quicker strengthening, and as such the cyclone reached tropical storm status on July 18 before reaching its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h (70 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 975 mbar (hPa; 28.79 inHg), making it a severe tropical sto