1954 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Pamela 1954
Typhoon Pamela threatened shipping across the South China Sea in November 1954. It affected the Philippines, Hong Kong and southern China, forcing ferries to stop and vessels to seek safety. Fishing communities suffered heavy losses as the storm approached the mainland.
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173 mph
Nov 2, 1954 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening east of the Philippines
Pamela developed east of the Philippines in late October and intensified into a typhoon as the month ended. The current archive records its first Category 5 observation at 09:00 UTC on 1 November and peak one-minute winds of 150 kt at 12:00 UTC. Its lowest pressure, 900 hPa, followed on 2 November.
After weakening, Pamela strengthened again over the South China Sea on 5 November. It then declined before making landfall in China on 6 November. The archive places its center over land with winds of 70 kt that morning, and tracking continues until 8 November.
Disruption and deaths in Hong Kong
Hong Kong suspended cross-harbor ferries and some tram services. The liner Chusan left Victoria Harbour as Pamela approached. At North Point and Quarry Bay, the recorded storm surge reached 1.16 m.
Five people died in Hong Kong and thirteen suffered injuries. The deaths included a baby struck by a loosened rock, three fishermen whose boat capsized, and an electrician killed while repairing a storm-damaged line. Two fishing trawlers with a combined crew of 26 went missing in rough seas.
Fishing fleets and ships at sea
Reports from the southern Chinese coast described roughly 1,100 fishing boats sunk. Ships involved in Operation Passage to Freedom at Haiphong took evasive action until 7 November. Other vessels struggled offshore, and a search began for the cargo ship Muskingum after it encountered the typhoon southwest of Taiwan.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Pamela in brief
What was Typhoon Pamela's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 1, 1954, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Pamela?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 1, 1954, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Pamela's lowest pressure?
900 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 2, 1954, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Pamela occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 26, 1954, 06:00 PM UTC to Nov 8, 1954, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 28, 1954, 06:00 PM UTC to Nov 8, 1954, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Pamela form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1954 season. Its first archived position is 9.6°N, 141.4°E on Oct 26, 1954, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Pamela make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 81 mph on Nov 6, 1954, 09:00 AM 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