1971 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Bess 1971
Typhoon Bess brought heavy flooding to Taiwan in September 1971. The storm approached from the western Pacific, weakened from its offshore peak and crossed the island before continuing toward China.
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161 mph
Sep 20, 1971 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Approaching Taiwan from the Pacific
Bess's archived track begins east of the Mariana Islands on 15 September. It moved generally west-northwest and intensified, reaching peak one-minute winds of 140 kt on 20 September. Its minimum archived central pressure was 905 hPa.
Bess weakened as it continued toward Taiwan, reaching the island's eastern side on 22 September. Crossing land reduced the storm's strength further before its circulation moved toward China.
Flooding and crop losses
Heavy flooding accompanied Bess's passage through Taiwan. Thirty-two deaths and crop damage were reported. The tropical phase ended on 23 September, while the archive retains later positions through 26 September.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Bess in brief
What was Typhoon Bess's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 20, 1971, 06:00 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 20, 1971, 03:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Bess's lowest pressure?
905 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 20, 1971, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Bess occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 15, 1971, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 26, 1971, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 15, 1971, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 23, 1971, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Bess form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1971 season. Its first archived position is 19.7°N, 158.4°E on Sep 15, 1971, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Bess make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 98 mph on Sep 22, 1971, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
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