1973 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Nora 1973
Typhoon Nora reached an exceptionally low central pressure over the Philippine Sea in October 1973. It weakened before reaching the Philippines and Taiwan, but wind and flooding still destroyed homes and displaced large numbers of residents.
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184 mph
Oct 6, 1973 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Extreme deepening over the Philippine Sea
Nora developed from a low near Yap and followed a slow, initially looping course. Rapid intensification began late on 4 October. Reconnaissance crews encountered severe turbulence and concentric eyewalls as the storm strengthened.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 160 kt and a minimum central pressure of 875 hPa on 6 October. A dropsonde released near the inner eyewall measured 877 hPa, providing direct evidence of the typhoon's exceptionally low pressure.
Luzon, Taiwan and China
Nora weakened rapidly after its peak and brushed northeastern Luzon on 7 October. It passed south of Taiwan, then turned north toward Fujian. The storm made landfall near Xiamen on 10 October and dissipated over China the next day.
The Philippines and Taiwan reported 36 deaths between them, and maritime incidents raised the overall toll to 40. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed in Taiwan. Nora was followed by Patsy and Ruth within days, exposing the Philippines to repeated storms during the recovery.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Nora in brief
What was Typhoon Nora's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 6, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Nora?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 5, 1973, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Nora's lowest pressure?
875 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 6, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Nora occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 1, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 11, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 1, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC to Oct 11, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Nora form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1973 season. Its first archived position is 10.3°N, 136.5°E on Oct 1, 1973, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Nora make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 109 mph on Oct 7, 1973, 09:00 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