1965 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Carmen 1965
Typhoon Carmen devastated communities in the Northern Mariana Islands in October 1965. Its passage also caused a major fishing-fleet disaster near Agrihan, where vessels seeking shelter were caught in violent seas.
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173 mph
Oct 6, 1965 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening through the Marianas
Carmen developed near the Marshall Islands and moved northwest before turning north. It intensified rapidly near the Northern Mariana Islands on 6 October. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt on 7 October.
The storm passed close to Pagan, Alamagan and Agrihan. On Agrihan, houses, schools and other buildings were destroyed, along with subsistence crops. With the island unable to support its population after the storm, residents were evacuated to Saipan.
Fishing vessels lost near Agrihan
Seven Japanese fishing vessels had sought shelter southwest of Agrihan, anticipating that the typhoon would pass farther east. The ships attempted to escape as conditions worsened, but all seven capsized. The reported toll was one confirmed death and 208 missing crew members.
Carmen later weakened as colder air entered its circulation and it accelerated northeast, passing well east of Tokyo. Its later circulation crossed the Aleutian region toward Alaska. Recovery in the Marianas included restoring Pagan's airstrip so supplies and assistance could reach the island.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Carmen in brief
What was Typhoon Carmen's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 7, 1965, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Carmen?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 6, 1965, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Carmen's lowest pressure?
914 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 6, 1965, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Carmen occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 1, 1965, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 11, 1965, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 4, 1965, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 9, 1965, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Carmen form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1965 season. Its first archived position is 9.3°N, 161.6°E on Oct 1, 1965, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Carmen make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Carmen'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