1959 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Dinah 1959
Typhoon Dinah moved toward Japan in October 1959, only weeks after Vera's catastrophic landfall. Dinah reached Category 5 strength but turned northeast before reaching the country. Its route carried the powerful storm east of the archipelago and back over the Pacific.
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173 mph
Oct 20, 1959 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A powerful typhoon heads north
The archive begins Dinah's track on 12 October near 7°N, 168°E. It first reached Category 5 strength at 06:00 UTC on 17 October and peaked at 150 kt six hours later. The storm subsequently moved north toward Japan.
The turn east of Japan
Dinah curved northeast before reaching Japan, keeping its center offshore. The historical account describes the turn as sparing the country another direct strike after Vera. The cyclone continued east of the islands as it weakened.
Dinah's minimum archived pressure of 915 hPa occurred on 20 October, after its first wind maximum. The complete local track extends through 25 October, preserving the storm's later ocean passage.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Dinah in brief
What was Typhoon Dinah's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 17, 1959, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Dinah?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 17, 1959, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Dinah's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 20, 1959, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Dinah occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 12, 1959, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 25, 1959, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 12, 1959, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 25, 1959, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Dinah form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1959 season. Its first archived position is 7°N, 168°E on Oct 12, 1959, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Dinah make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Dinah'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