1954 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Ida 1954
Typhoon Ida was the strongest storm of the 1954 Pacific typhoon season. It reached Category 5 strength before approaching southern China, where its passage caused a major loss of life. In Hong Kong, the typhoon raised water levels along the harbor waterfront.
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173 mph
Aug 27, 1954 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Intensification over the western Pacific
Ida's archived track begins on 18 August near 10°N, 158.5°E. It first reached Category 5 strength at 15:00 UTC on 26 August, followed by peak one-minute sustained winds of 150 kt three hours later. The minimum archived pressure of 890 hPa came at 06:00 UTC on 27 August.
Landfall in China and surge in Hong Kong
Ida weakened before reaching China. The strongest sampled center-over-land observation carries winds of 65 kt on 29 August, compared with its 150 kt peak over the ocean. Its archived track ends on 31 August.
The historical account reports at least 884 deaths associated with Ida. As the storm passed Hong Kong, observers at North Point and Quarry Bay recorded a maximum storm surge of 1.68 m. That rise describes the storm-driven increase in water level along the harbor.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ida in brief
What was Typhoon Ida's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 26, 1954, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Ida?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 26, 1954, 03:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Ida's lowest pressure?
890 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 27, 1954, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Ida occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 18, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC to Aug 31, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 18, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC to Aug 31, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Ida form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1954 season. Its first archived position is 10°N, 158.5°E on Aug 18, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Ida make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 75 mph on Aug 29, 1954, 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