1996 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Sally 1996
Typhoon Sally, known as Maring in the Philippines, crossed the South China Sea in September 1996 and struck southern China. Its fast westward passage took it across the Leizhou Peninsula and the Gulf of Tonkin.
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161 mph
Sep 8, 1996 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
Sally developed within a monsoon trough extending between the Philippines and Micronesia. Forecasters began monitoring the disturbance near Guam on September 2. It organized while moving northwest, reached tropical-storm strength on September 5 and became a typhoon the next day.
Maximum one-minute winds reached 140 kt on September 7, equivalent to Category 5. The archive records a minimum central pressure of 940 hPa. Sally then accelerated west across the South China Sea and weakened before reaching the Chinese coast.
Two landfalls around the Gulf of Tonkin
On September 9, Sally struck the Leizhou Peninsula with winds near 185 km/h. It crossed the Gulf of Tonkin and made another landfall just north of the China–Vietnam border, then weakened inland. The saved account estimates 140 deaths and US$1.5 billion in damage in 1996 currency.
In Hong Kong, officials suspended ferry services to outlying islands and fishing crews sought shelter. Sally passed about 180 kilometers south of the territory, prompting the No. 8 gale or storm signal. Schools remained closed for September 9 even after officials lowered the warnings that morning.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Sally in brief
What was Typhoon Sally's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Sep 7, 1996, 06:00 PM 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 7, 1996, 06:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Sally's lowest pressure?
940 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Sep 8, 1996, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Sally occur?
The archived track runs from Sep 2, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 10, 1996, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Sep 5, 1996, 12:00 PM UTC to Sep 10, 1996, 06:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Sally form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1996 season. Its first archived position is 8.1°N, 147.7°E on Sep 2, 1996, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Sally make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 119 mph on Sep 9, 1996, 03:00 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