1965 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Bess 1965
Typhoon Bess became an exceptionally intense western Pacific cyclone in September 1965. Its strongest winds remained over water before the storm turned northeast and weakened on a long passage into the northern Pacific.
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173 mph
Sep 30, 1965 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Intensifying near Micronesia
Bess developed northeast of Pohnpei in late September and became a typhoon on 27 September. Its circulation expanded as it strengthened. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt on 30 September and a minimum central pressure of 900 hPa later that day.
After reaching its peak, Bess began weakening and turned northeast. The decline was interrupted by a brief resurgence on 4 October, but that renewed strength did not last. Winds soon fell again as the storm continued toward higher latitudes.
A later track across the northern Pacific
Bess lost its tropical character during the first week of October. The remaining circulation traveled eastward across the northern Pacific, and its archived track ends on 8 October. None of the recorded center positions lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Bess in brief
What was Typhoon Bess's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 30, 1965, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Bess?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 29, 1965, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Bess's lowest pressure?
900 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 30, 1965, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Bess occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 25, 1965, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 8, 1965, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 26, 1965, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 5, 1965, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Bess form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1965 season. Its first archived position is 7.8°N, 156.2°E on Sep 25, 1965, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Bess make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Bess'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