WESTERN PACIFIC · 1958 SEASON

Typhoon Ophelia (1958)

Recorded track and intensity · 6 Jan 1958–18 Jan 1958

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
OPHELIA: complete recorded track, 6 Jan 1958–18 Jan 1958Recorded track from 6 Jan 1958 to 18 Jan 1958. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.7 Jan, 00:00 UTC8 Jan, 00:00 UTC9 Jan, 00:00 UTC10 Jan, 00:00 UTC11 Jan, 00:00 UTC12 Jan, 00:00 UTC13 Jan, 00:00 UTC14 Jan, 00:00 UTC15 Jan, 00:00 UTC16 Jan, 00:00 UTC17 Jan, 00:00 UTC18 Jan, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 56 JAN18 JAN

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DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
All times UTC

Wind speed & pressure

13 Jan, 00:00 UTC
Wind speed 140 ktPressure 955 hPa
0940809801601020kthPa6 Jan10 Jan14 Jan18 Jan

Forward speed & ACE

13 Jan, 00:00 UTC
Forward speed 12 ktCumulative ACE 27.43 10⁴ kt²
001022.52045kt10⁴ kt²6 Jan10 Jan14 Jan18 Jan

Hover or tap either graph to follow the track. The slider controls both graphs. Each line uses its matching colored axis.

Forward speed measures the center’s motion. ACE accumulates squared one-minute winds at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC during tropical or subtropical stages at 34 kt or above. Missing observations make ACE partial. Missing measurements remain gaps.

Maximum sustained wind140 kt

161 mph / 259 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure940 hPa

8 Jan 1958 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration11.25 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance5,280 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Ophelia is listed in the Western Pacific basin for the 1958 season. Its archived track begins on 6 Jan 1958, 18:00 UTC at 3.1°N, 170.9°E. US-agency wind is not available for this first observation. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.

The first Category 5 observation appears on 13 Jan 1958, 00:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 140 knots (161 mph / 259 km/h), first recorded on 13 Jan 1958, 00:00 UTC at 9°N, 141.5°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 940 hPa on 8 Jan 1958, 06:00 UTC.

The full record spans 270 hours and approximately 5,280 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 17.5°N, 135°E on 18 Jan 1958, 00:00 UTC. The final tropical-stage observation is earlier, on 17 Jan 1958, 15:00 UTC.

This summary is calculated from the NOAA IBTrACS archive. Category 5 describes the storm’s peak recorded wind intensity, not its intensity at landfall or the severity of impacts at any location. Landfall times, damage and casualties have not been independently reviewed for this page.

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 · Field documentation

Sources & methodology