WESTERN PACIFIC · 1987 SEASON

Typhoon Betty (1987)

Recorded track and intensity · 7 Aug 1987–17 Aug 1987

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
BETTY: complete recorded track, 7 Aug 1987–17 Aug 1987Recorded track from 7 Aug 1987 to 17 Aug 1987. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.TAIWAN7 Aug, 00:00 UTC8 Aug, 00:00 UTC9 Aug, 00:00 UTC10 Aug, 00:00 UTC11 Aug, 00:00 UTC12 Aug, 00:00 UTC13 Aug, 00:00 UTC14 Aug, 00:00 UTC15 Aug, 00:00 UTC16 Aug, 00:00 UTC17 Aug, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 57 AUG17 AUG

Drag to pan · Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the full track.

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
All times UTC

Wind speed & pressure

11 Aug, 12:00 UTC
Wind speed 140 ktPressure 890 hPa
0880809501601020kthPa7 Aug10 Aug14 Aug17 Aug

Forward speed & ACE

11 Aug, 12:00 UTC
Forward speed 11 ktCumulative ACE 7.77 10⁴ kt²
001517.53035kt10⁴ kt²7 Aug10 Aug14 Aug17 Aug

Hover or tap either graph to follow the track. The slider controls both graphs. Each line uses its matching colored axis.

Forward speed measures the center’s motion. ACE accumulates squared one-minute winds at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC during tropical or subtropical stages at 34 kt or above. Missing observations make ACE partial. Missing measurements remain gaps.

Maximum sustained wind140 kt

161 mph / 259 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure890 hPa

11 Aug 1987 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration10.5 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance4,100 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Betty is listed in the Western Pacific basin for the 1987 season. Its archived track begins on 7 Aug 1987, 00:00 UTC at 8.4°N, 134.2°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 20 knots. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.

The first Category 5 observation appears on 11 Aug 1987, 12:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 11 Aug 1987, 12:00 UTC at 12.2°N, 127.6°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 890 hPa on 11 Aug 1987, 12:00 UTC.

The full record spans 252 hours and approximately 4,100 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 18.8°N, 99.3°E on 17 Aug 1987, 12:00 UTC.

This summary is calculated from the NOAA IBTrACS archive. Category 5 describes the storm’s peak recorded wind intensity, not its intensity at landfall or the severity of impacts at any location. Landfall times, damage and casualties have not been independently reviewed for this page.

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 · Field documentation

Sources & methodology