1983 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Abby 1983
Typhoon Abby brought several days of rain to Japan in August 1983 after a long approach from the Philippine Sea. It arrived only days after another typhoon, disrupting transport and flooding thousands of homes.
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167 mph
Aug 8, 1983 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Slow development followed by rapid strengthening
Abby's precursor was first noted southeast of Guam on 31 July, but a closed circulation took several days to form. Once organized, the storm intensified rapidly while beginning a northward curve. Peak archived one-minute winds reached 145 kt late on 8 August.
The typhoon then weakened gradually, with a brief recovery in strength on 11 August. It continued toward Japan and crossed the country in a much weaker state during 17 and 18 August. The archive follows its later circulation through 24 August.
Rain and disrupted travel
Abby's rain flooded about 3,400 homes in Japan and damaged roads. Land, sea and air transport were interrupted, stranding around 25,900 travelers, while more than 10,000 fishing boats sheltered in harbors. Japan reported two deaths, 27 injuries and one missing person.
In the Philippines, rain triggered a landslide that crushed a house in Manila and killed three people. Two others drowned in rough seas, bringing the reported combined death toll to seven.
IMPACT
Reported impact
| Deaths | 7 |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Abby in brief
What was Typhoon Abby's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 8, 1983, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Abby?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 8, 1983, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Abby's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 8, 1983, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Abby occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 31, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 24, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 5, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 19, 1983, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Abby form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1983 season. Its first archived position is 6°N, 151°E on Jul 31, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Abby make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 67 mph on Aug 17, 1983, 03:00 AM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
How many people died in Typhoon Abby?
7 deaths are recorded by Wikidata.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology