1987 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Nina 1987
Typhoon Nina devastated southern Luzon in November 1987 after damaging communities in Chuuk Lagoon. Known as Sisang in the Philippines, it brought especially severe destruction to Sorsogon and neighboring parts of the Bicol region.
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167 mph
Nov 25, 1987 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From Chuuk Lagoon to Luzon
Nina developed near the Marshall Islands and moved west-northwest, reaching tropical-storm strength on 19 November. It passed through Chuuk Lagoon the following day. Four people died there, and many homes and government buildings in Weno were damaged.
The storm became a typhoon on 22 November and intensified sharply before reaching the Philippines. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 145 kt on 25 November, shortly before Nina crossed southern Luzon.
Devastation in the Bicol region
Matnog suffered particularly heavy losses, with 287 deaths reported. In Sorsogon City, nearly all structures were damaged or destroyed. Schools, public infrastructure and crops across Sorsogon and Albay suffered extensive destruction.
Across the Philippines, about 90,000 houses were destroyed and more than 150,000 people were left homeless. The saved account reports 979 Philippine deaths and US$54.5 million in damage at 1987 values. Nina weakened over land, entered the South China Sea and turned north before dissipating on 30 November.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Nina in brief
What was Typhoon Nina's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 25, 1987, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Nina?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 25, 1987, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Nina's lowest pressure?
930 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 25, 1987, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Nina occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 16, 1987, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 30, 1987, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 16, 1987, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 30, 1987, 06:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Nina form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1987 season. Its first archived position is 2.9°N, 171.1°E on Nov 16, 1987, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Nina make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 159 mph on Nov 25, 1987, 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