1968 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Agnes 1968
Typhoon Agnes reached exceptional strength over the western Pacific in September 1968 before turning away from Japan. Its center remained over water throughout the archived track, with the most intense phase occurring before its northeastward turn.
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173 mph
Sep 4, 1968 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid strengthening over the Pacific
Agnes began as a low-pressure area near the Marshall Islands in late August and moved west-northwest. It organized into a tropical storm by 29 August, then intensified rapidly on 2 and 3 September.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt late on 3 September and a minimum central pressure of 900 hPa early the next day. Agnes was the most intense typhoon of the 1968 Pacific season by central pressure.
A northeastward turn south of Japan
Agnes began curving northeast on 4 September while south of Japan. Its winds weakened over the following days as the storm moved toward higher latitudes, reaching Category 1 strength by 7 September.
The circulation became extratropical northeast of Japan on 10 September. Its later track continued over the northern Pacific through 11 September. No archived center position places Agnes over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Agnes in brief
What was Typhoon Agnes's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 3, 1968, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Agnes?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 3, 1968, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Agnes's lowest pressure?
900 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 4, 1968, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Agnes occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 27, 1968, 06:00 AM UTC to Sep 11, 1968, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 29, 1968, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 10, 1968, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Agnes form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1968 season. Its first archived position is 11°N, 173°E on Aug 27, 1968, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Agnes make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Agnes's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
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