1962 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Emma 1962
Typhoon Emma curved away from Saipan in October 1962, then strengthened over the open Pacific. Its long track carried it east of Japan and toward the Aleutians. Guam and Saipan suffered damage even though the storm avoided a direct strike on Saipan.
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161 mph
Oct 5, 1962 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Turning north near Saipan
Emma organized near Saipan as September ended. It became a tropical storm on 1 October and made a U-turn north of the island, then intensified while moving north. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 140 kt on 5 October and a minimum pressure of 890 hPa six hours later.
A long ocean passage
Emma turned east and passed well east of Iwo Jima before curving northeast. Its strength fluctuated as it traveled into colder air. On 13 October, the later storm crossed into the Bering Sea near Little Sitkin Island and continued toward Alaska.
Damage on Guam and Saipan totaled about US$250,000 in 1962 dollars. The losses affected communications equipment, buildings and fishing boats. The local archived track extends from late September through 13 October.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Emma in brief
What was Typhoon Emma's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 5, 1962, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Emma?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 4, 1962, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Emma's lowest pressure?
890 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 5, 1962, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Emma occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 28, 1962, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 13, 1962, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 1, 1962, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 13, 1962, 06:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Emma form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1962 season. Its first archived position is 9.5°N, 161°E on Sep 28, 1962, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Emma make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Emma'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