1981 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Elsie 1981
Typhoon Elsie followed a broad curve across the western Pacific in 1981. It strengthened rapidly in late September, then passed offshore Japan as an intense oceanic storm before losing its tropical character.
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173 mph
Sep 27, 1981 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Development after a disrupted monsoon trough
Elsie began as a small thunderstorm area near Micronesia after earlier typhoons had disrupted the monsoon trough. It gradually organized, becoming a tropical storm on 25 September and a typhoon the next morning.
Further strengthening brought Elsie to super typhoon intensity on 27 September. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt early on 28 September. It retained very strong winds for several days as it followed the edge of the subtropical ridge.
Curving offshore Japan
Elsie's route bent north and northeast around the high-pressure ridge, taking it offshore Japan on 1 and 2 October. The upper-level trough that helped turn the storm also contributed to its transition into an extratropical cyclone on 2 October.
No archived center position lies over land. Later positions continue beyond the tropical phase through 6 October, following the circulation away from the western Pacific islands.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Elsie in brief
What was Typhoon Elsie's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 28, 1981, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Elsie?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 27, 1981, 03:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Elsie's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 27, 1981, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Elsie occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 22, 1981, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 6, 1981, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 24, 1981, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 2, 1981, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Elsie form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1981 season. Its first archived position is 9°N, 151°E on Sep 22, 1981, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Elsie make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Elsie'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