1967 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Emma 1967
Typhoon Emma, known as Welming in the Philippines, crossed southern Luzon in November 1967. The storm destroyed homes, damaged shipping and left a large population homeless before continuing toward southern China.
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161 mph
Nov 3, 1967 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening between Micronesia and Luzon
Emma developed on 30 October and became a typhoon the following day. It traveled west-northwest, passing south of Yap before intensifying rapidly over the Philippine Sea. Peak archived one-minute winds reached 140 kt on 2 November.
The typhoon reached southern Luzon on 3 November after weakening from its offshore peak. The island's mountainous terrain reduced Emma's strength further, and it emerged over the South China Sea as a tropical storm.
Destruction in the Philippines
More than 300 deaths were reported in the Philippines, where over 140,000 people were left homeless. Two ships sank and others were damaged. Philippine damage was estimated at US$75.6 million in 1967 values, while Yap and Palau also suffered property losses.
Emma continued across the South China Sea and made its final landfall near Zhanjiang as a tropical storm. It dissipated on 8 November near the border region between China and Vietnam, ending a route that had stretched westward from Micronesia.
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 Nov 2, 1967, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Emma?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 2, 1967, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Emma's lowest pressure?
908 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 3, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Emma occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 30, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 8, 1967, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 30, 1967, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 8, 1967, 06:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Emma form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1967 season. Its first archived position is 6.5°N, 150°E on Oct 30, 1967, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Emma make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 4 recorded positions; the strongest is 119 mph on Nov 3, 1967, 03:00 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