1983 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Marge 1983
Typhoon Marge combined intense winds with an exceptionally fast later passage across the Pacific in 1983. After moving west-northwest toward the waters east of the Philippines, it curved away from land and accelerated sharply.
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167 mph
Nov 4, 1983 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A west-northwest approach over open water
Marge began as a weak tropical circulation near the Marshall Islands in late October. Its route advanced west-northwest in a series of changes in direction, carrying it across the western Pacific while it strengthened.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 145 kt on 4 November, shortly after its minimum central pressure of 895 hPa. Marge's strongest phase remained over water east of the Philippines.
An exceptionally fast northeastward turn
Marge curved northeast east of Japan and accelerated to a forward speed of 54 kt, about 100 km/h. That figure describes the movement of the storm itself, distinct from the much stronger winds circulating around its center.
The tropical stage ended late on 6 November, and the archived track continues through 8 November. No recorded center position lies over land during Marge's long Pacific passage.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Marge in brief
What was Typhoon Marge's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 4, 1983, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Marge?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 4, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Marge's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 4, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Marge occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 26, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 8, 1983, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 30, 1983, 12:00 PM UTC to Nov 6, 1983, 09:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Marge form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1983 season. Its first archived position is 7°N, 172°E on Oct 26, 1983, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Marge make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Marge'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