1958 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Phyllis 1958
Typhoon Phyllis reached exceptional strength over the western Pacific in May 1958. It remained over open water and weakened southeast of Japan. At the time, its estimated peak winds made it the strongest May typhoon in the historical record.
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184 mph
May 28, 1958 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
An exceptional May typhoon
Phyllis's archived track begins on 23 May near 6°N, 157.5°E. It first reached Category 5 strength on 27 May, then continued intensifying. At 00:00 UTC on 29 May, its one-minute sustained winds peaked at 160 kt, about 184 mph.
The saved historical account identifies that peak as the strongest recorded for a May typhoon at the time. Phyllis remained offshore throughout its passage, so its extreme intensity developed over the ocean rather than during a landfall.
Weakening southeast of Japan
Phyllis weakened southeast of Japan as June began. The current archive ends its tropical-stage observations on 2 June but retains later positions through 6 June, extending the track beyond the intense tropical phase.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Phyllis in brief
What was Typhoon Phyllis's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on May 29, 1958, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Phyllis?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on May 27, 1958, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Phyllis's lowest pressure?
940 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on May 28, 1958, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Phyllis occur?
The archived track runs from May 23, 1958, 12:00 AM UTC to Jun 6, 1958, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from May 23, 1958, 12:00 AM UTC to Jun 2, 1958, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Phyllis form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1958 season. Its first archived position is 6°N, 157.5°E on May 23, 1958, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Phyllis make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Phyllis'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