1993 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Ed 1993
Typhoon Ed was the only western Pacific storm of 1993 to reach Category 5 strength on the one-minute wind scale. It remained offshore, curving northeast before reaching the Philippines or Japan.
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161 mph
Oct 5, 1993 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening over the Philippine Sea
Ed's track begins near Micronesia in late September. The developing storm moved northwest past the Mariana Islands and into the Philippine Sea, steadily increasing in strength. Its westward progress slowed as the route began turning north.
Peak archived one-minute winds reached 140 kt on 4 October. The minimum central pressure, 915 hPa, followed early on 5 October. Ed's strongest phase took place east of the Philippines over open water.
Turning northeast away from land
Ed curved northeast and weakened south of Japan, then accelerated eastward into the Pacific. The tropical stage ended on 8 October, and the archive continues through the next day. The season account reports no effects on land, and none of the archived center positions lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ed in brief
What was Typhoon Ed's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 4, 1993, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Ed?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 4, 1993, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Ed's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 5, 1993, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Ed occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 27, 1993, 06:00 AM UTC to Oct 9, 1993, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 30, 1993, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 8, 1993, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Ed form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1993 season. Its first archived position is 7°N, 152.9°E on Sep 27, 1993, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Ed make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Ed'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