1961 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Dot 1961
Typhoon Dot was a compact storm that aircraft crews discovered near Guam in November 1961. It damaged Alamagan in the Mariana Islands and reached Category 5 strength northwest of Guam. Its later weather system traveled across the Pacific and into North America.
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161 mph
Nov 11, 1961 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A compact storm on an air route
Dot developed east of Guam on 7 November and organized while following a zigzag course. Pilots crossing the Pacific reported severe weather on 9 November; reconnaissance found a mature typhoon. Its small size made the aircraft reports important to its detection before the Mariana Islands passage.
Dot moved west through the Marianas, causing substantial damage on Alamagan. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 140 kt at 18:00 UTC on 10 November, followed by a minimum pressure of 930 hPa on 11 November.
Across the Pacific after the typhoon phase
Dot curved northeast and weakened under the influence of a trough. Its tropical-stage archive ends on 15 November. The later extratropical low reached Southern California on 20 November, brought rain to the southwestern United States and continued across the continent before merging with another low off the East Coast.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Dot in brief
What was Typhoon Dot's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 10, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Dot?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 10, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Dot's lowest pressure?
930 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 11, 1961, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Dot occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 7, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC to Nov 16, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 7, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC to Nov 15, 1961, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Dot form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1961 season. Its first archived position is 14.2°N, 153°E on Nov 7, 1961, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Dot make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Dot'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