1994 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Doug 1994
Typhoon Doug, known as Ritang in the Philippines, brushed northern Taiwan in August 1994 before weakening over the seas east of China. Flooding and landslides caused much of its destruction in Taiwan.
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161 mph
Aug 6, 1994 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From Guam toward Taiwan
Doug developed near the eastern end of a monsoon trough west-northwest of Guam. It moved west and strengthened during the first week of August, developing an eye before reaching Category 5 intensity. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 140 kt on August 5 and a minimum central pressure of 925 hPa the next day.
Flooding in Taiwan
Doug passed northern Taiwan on August 8. Heavy rain triggered landslides and floods, while wind brought down trees and damaged buildings. Across Taiwan, 26 people died; 126 houses collapsed and another 453 suffered damage. About 100,000 people lost electricity and water supplies. Damage estimates exceeded NT$4 billion in 1994 currency.
After passing Taiwan, Doug turned north and northeast over the East China Sea and weakened. It made a clockwise loop over the Yellow Sea before heading toward the Shanghai area as a much weaker system. Its late track contrasted with the strong westward approach earlier in the storm's life.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Doug in brief
What was Typhoon Doug's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 5, 1994, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Doug?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 5, 1994, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Doug's lowest pressure?
925 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 6, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Doug occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 30, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 13, 1994, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 1, 1994, 06:00 AM UTC to Aug 13, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Doug form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1994 season. Its first archived position is 12°N, 151.7°E on Jul 30, 1994, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Doug make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 35 mph on Aug 12, 1994, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
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