1982 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Mac 1982
Typhoon Mac passed near Guam as a strong tropical storm in October 1982, then intensified rapidly over the Philippine Sea. Its later northward turn kept the center over water as it accelerated into the northern Pacific.
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161 mph
Oct 5, 1982 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A damaging passage near Guam
Mac developed from a persistent circulation east of Pohnpei. Thunderstorms became better organized on 1 October as upper-level conditions improved, and the system moved west-northwest toward Guam.
The storm passed near Guam on the morning of 3 October. Heavy rain and strong winds affected the southern part of the island, causing an estimated US$1.5 million in damage at 1982 values. Mac strengthened into a typhoon after the passage.
Intensification and a northward turn
Mac reached peak archived one-minute winds of 140 kt and a minimum pressure of 895 hPa on 5 October. It moved into a weakness in the subtropical ridge and turned north-northeast, accelerating as it entered the midlatitude westerlies.
The storm gradually weakened but still carried powerful winds as it became extratropical. The archive follows the later circulation through 12 October, with no center position recorded over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Mac in brief
What was Typhoon Mac's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 5, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Mac?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 5, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Mac's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 5, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Mac occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 29, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 12, 1982, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 1, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 8, 1982, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Mac form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1982 season. Its first archived position is 11.3°N, 155.6°E on Sep 29, 1982, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Mac make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Mac'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