hurricanesmapped

WESTERN PACIFIC · 1978 SEASON

Typhoon Rita (1978)

Recorded track and intensity · 16 Oct 1978–30 Oct 1978

PEAK INTENSITYCategory 5
THE COMPLETE TRACKOpen in the explorer
RITA: complete recorded track, 16 Oct 1978–30 Oct 1978Recorded track from 16 Oct 1978 to 30 Oct 1978. Colors show the recorded wind category. The highlighted position follows the replay controls.TAIWAN17 Oct, 00:00 UTC18 Oct, 00:00 UTC19 Oct, 00:00 UTC20 Oct, 00:00 UTC21 Oct, 00:00 UTC22 Oct, 00:00 UTC23 Oct, 00:00 UTC24 Oct, 00:00 UTC25 Oct, 00:00 UTC26 Oct, 00:00 UTC27 Oct, 00:00 UTC28 Oct, 00:00 UTC29 Oct, 00:00 UTC30 Oct, 00:00 UTCPeak · Category 516 OCT30 OCT

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

Wind speed & pressure

23 Oct, 06:00 UTC
Wind speed 150 ktPressure 885 hPa
0880809501601020kthPa16 Oct21 Oct25 Oct30 Oct

Forward speed & ACE

23 Oct, 06:00 UTC
Forward speed 15 ktCumulative ACE 19.02 10⁴ kt²
0015253050kt10⁴ kt²16 Oct21 Oct25 Oct30 Oct

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 wind150 kt

173 mph / 278 km/h

Minimum recorded pressure880 hPa

25 Oct 1978 · tropical stage

Recorded track duration13.75 days

Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present

Approximate track distance8,130 km

Along the recorded center positions

STORM HISTORY

Track and intensity summary

Rita is listed in the Western Pacific basin for the 1978 season. Its archived track begins on 16 Oct 1978, 12:00 UTC at 9°N, 179.7°E. The first observation lists sustained winds of 25 knots. These dates describe the available observations, which may include stages before and after the tropical cyclone phase.

The first Category 5 observation appears on 22 Oct 1978, 21:00 UTC. The highest recorded tropical-stage one-minute sustained wind is 150 knots (173 mph / 278 km/h), first recorded on 23 Oct 1978, 06:00 UTC at 11.8°N, 147.1°E. The minimum recorded tropical-stage central pressure is 880 hPa on 25 Oct 1978, 06:00 UTC.

The full record spans 330 hours and approximately 8,130 kilometers along the recorded center positions. The last recorded position is 12°N, 108.5°E on 30 Oct 1978, 06:00 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

Browse all Category 5 storm pages