1964 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Sally 1964
Typhoon Sally crossed the western Pacific in September 1964, striking Guam before reaching exceptional strength over the Philippine Sea. It later brushed the northern Philippines and reached southern China, while its remnants contributed to destructive flooding in South Korea.
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196 mph
Sep 8, 1964 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Across Guam and the Philippine Sea
Sally developed near the Marshall Islands and moved west-northwest, strengthening quickly. Its center crossed southern Guam on 5 September. Agriculture suffered heavily there, with banana crops accounting for the largest crop losses.
The archive records Sally's peak one-minute winds at 170 kt on 7 September. It weakened as it approached northern Luzon, passing close to Aparri on 9 September. Strong winds and rain damaged the San Vicente naval station and its neighboring village.
Southern China and flooding farther north
Sally crossed the South China Sea and made landfall east of Hong Kong on 10 September. With Typhoon Ruby's recent strike still fresh, authorities evacuated about 10,000 people. Hong Kong escaped the worst anticipated damage, but heavy rain triggered a landslide that killed nine people.
After Sally weakened inland, its remnants moved northeast and contributed to severe flooding around Seoul. The reported toll was 211 people dead or missing, and more than 36,000 people were left homeless. These later floods extended Sally's effects well beyond its tropical track.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Sally in brief
What was Typhoon Sally's highest wind speed?
196 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 7, 1964, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Sally?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Sep 6, 1964, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Sally's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 8, 1964, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Sally occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 3, 1964, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 11, 1964, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 4, 1964, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 11, 1964, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Sally form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1964 season. Its first archived position is 9.2°N, 158.8°E on Sep 3, 1964, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Sally make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 81 mph on Sep 10, 1964, 03:00 PM 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