1996 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Dale 1996
Typhoon Dale passed south of Guam in November 1996 before reaching Category 5 strength in the Philippine Sea. It turned north east of the Philippines and accelerated into the North Pacific.
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161 mph
Nov 9, 1996 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
High seas around Guam
Dale began as a cluster of thunderstorms southeast of Guam on November 2. The developing system spent time nearly stationary, then moved west and became a typhoon by November 7. Later that day, it passed south of Guam, bringing strong winds and high seas.
The saved season account reports winds as high as 74 kt on Guam and waves that overtopped cliffs about 30 meters high. Damage on the island totaled US$3.5 million in 1996 currency, despite the center's offshore passage.
Peak strength before the turn
Dale strengthened over the Philippine Sea and reached peak one-minute winds of 140 kt on November 9. The archive records a minimum central pressure of 930 hPa. On November 10, it turned north and then northeast, keeping east of the Philippines.
The cyclone weakened as it moved out of the tropics. By November 14, it was racing east-northeast at more than 60 kt during its transition into an extratropical system. No archived center position lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Dale in brief
What was Typhoon Dale's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 9, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Dale?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 9, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Dale's lowest pressure?
930 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 9, 1996, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Dale occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 2, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 14, 1996, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 3, 1996, 06:00 PM UTC to Nov 13, 1996, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Dale form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1996 season. Its first archived position is 9.1°N, 154°E on Nov 2, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Dale make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Dale'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