1962 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Ruth 1962
Typhoon Ruth strengthened through the Mariana Islands in August 1962 and reached Category 5 intensity near Iwo Jima. It approached Japan before turning northeast offshore. The later circulation continued across the northern Pacific toward the Aleutians and Bering Sea.
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184 mph
Aug 16, 1962 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening through the island chains
Ruth developed north of Chuuk and moved northwest past Guam. It became a typhoon within hours of reaching tropical-storm strength and crossed Saipan on 14 August. The archive records its first Category 5 observation on 16 August and peak one-minute winds of 160 kt at 18:00 UTC that day.
The turn east of Japan
Ruth passed near Iwo Jima and weakened near Chichijima while continuing northwest. It turned northeast on 18 August and passed east of Tokyo, then lost strength as it moved into cooler air over the open Pacific.
The archive's tropical stage ends on 23 August. The historical account follows the later system toward the Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, where it eventually merged with another circulation.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ruth in brief
What was Typhoon Ruth's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 16, 1962, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Ruth?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 16, 1962, 12:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Ruth's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 16, 1962, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Ruth occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 12, 1962, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 25, 1962, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 13, 1962, 12:00 PM UTC to Aug 23, 1962, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Ruth form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1962 season. Its first archived position is 10.5°N, 151.2°E on Aug 12, 1962, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Ruth make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Ruth'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