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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1956 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 41 storms · 18 Jan 1956–30 Dec 1956

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY301.5
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1956 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 41 storms, colored by the wind category at each observation. Hover or focus a storm in the table to highlight its track.UNITED STATESCANADAMEXICOAFRICAEUROPECHINAJAPANPHILIPPINESINDIAGulf of MexicoPacific OceanPhilippine SeaArabian SeaBay of BengalUnnamed: 18 Jan–20 Jan, no US-agency windSarah: 21 Mar–5 Apr, peak 125 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 9 Apr–14 Apr, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormThelma: 16 Apr–25 Apr, peak 150 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 6 Jun–6 Jun, no US-agency windUnnamed: 17 Jun–19 Jun, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 29 Jun–30 Jun, no US-agency windUnnamed: 4 Jul–4 Jul, no US-agency windVera: 5 Jul–8 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 22 Jul–22 Jul, no US-agency windUnnamed: 25 Jul–27 Jul, no US-agency windWanda: 26 Jul–3 Aug, peak 160 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 26 Jul–27 Jul, no US-agency windAmy: 2 Aug–6 Aug, peak 65 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 4 Aug–4 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 4 Aug–5 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 8 Aug–10 Aug, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 10 Aug–12 Aug, no US-agency windBabs: 10 Aug–19 Aug, peak 100 kt, Category 3Unnamed: 16 Aug–17 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 26 Aug–26 Aug, no US-agency windCharlotte: 25 Aug–2 Sep, peak 110 kt, Category 3Dinah: 29 Aug–6 Sep, peak 95 kt, Category 2Emma: 1 Sep–10 Sep, peak 135 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 12 Sep–12 Sep, no US-agency windUnnamed: 14 Sep–15 Sep, no US-agency windFreda: 13 Sep–18 Sep, peak 85 kt, Category 2Gilda: 17 Sep–23 Sep, peak 140 kt, Category 5Harriet: 20 Sep–28 Sep, peak 110 kt, Category 3Ivy: 23 Sep–27 Sep, peak 65 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 28 Sep–29 Sep, no US-agency windJean: 15 Oct–26 Oct, peak 130 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 16 Oct–19 Oct, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormKaren:Lucille: 9 Nov–22 Nov, peak 95 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 12 Nov–14 Nov, no US-agency windMary: 16 Nov–16 Nov, no US-agency windUnnamed: 20 Nov–22 Nov, no US-agency windNadine: 23 Nov–25 Nov, peak 75 kt, Category 1Olive: 24 Nov–30 Nov, peak 75 kt, Category 1Polly: 7 Dec–10 Dec, peak 85 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 29 Dec–30 Dec, no US-agency wind

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1956 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Unnamed–—Unclassified—520
Sarah–125Cat 49702,650
Unnamed–40Tropical storm1002900
Thelma–150Cat 59352,880
Unnamed–—Unclassified—510
Unnamed–40Tropical storm1000780
Unnamed–—Unclassified—480
Unnamed–—Unclassified—490
Vera–80Cat 19901,440
Unnamed–—Unclassified—420
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,250
Wanda–160Cat 59152,840
Unnamed–—Unclassified—140
Amy–65Cat 19651,150
Unnamed–—Unclassified—730
Unnamed–—Unclassified—800
Unnamed–40Tropical storm9981,170
Unnamed–—Unclassified—830
Babs–100Cat 39602,050
Unnamed–—Unclassified—380
Charlotte–110Cat 39752,600
Unnamed–—Unclassified—700
Dinah–95Cat 29703,040
Emma–135Cat 49302,950
Unnamed–—Unclassified—670
Freda–85Cat 29804,600
Unnamed–—Unclassified—640
Gilda–140Cat 59352,500
Harriet–110Cat 39534,290
Ivy–65Cat 19901,520
Unnamed–—Unclassified—690
Jean–130Cat 49402,480
Unnamed–40Tropical storm—990
Karen:Lucille–95Cat 29753,060
Unnamed–—Unclassified—470
Mary–—Unclassified99550
Unnamed–—Unclassified—650
Nadine–75Cat 1990520
Olive–75Cat 19901,230
Polly–85Cat 2980520
Unnamed–—Unclassified—850

41 storms with an IBTrACS 1956 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 18 Jan 1956, last 30 Dec 1956.

Tropical storms22

Tropical-stage US-agency wind of 34 kt or more

Typhoons18

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)9

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 53

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormWanda

160 kt · 184 mph / 296 km/h

Lowest pressure915 hPa

Wanda, 30 Jul 1956

Longest track record15.5 days

Sarah, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind19

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1956 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1956 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 18 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 22 tropical storms, with 9 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1956 Pacific typhoon season?

Wanda, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 160 kt (Category 5) on 30 Jul 1956, 06:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 915 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1956?

3 storms in the 1956 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Thelma, Wanda, Gilda.

When did the 1956 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 18 Jan 1956 and the last on 30 Dec 1956, from 41 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1956 Pacific typhoon season?

Sarah, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 24 Mar 1956, 06:00 UTC.

METHODOLOGY

Data sources and limitations

The map and totals are generated from NOAA’s IBTrACS v04r01 archive. A storm belongs to this page when the archive lists it in the Western Pacific basin for the 1956 season, so a December storm whose track ends in January stays with its season. Storms that cross between basins appear on the page of their archive basin only.

Counts use US-agency one-minute winds during the tropical stage: 34 kt for a tropical storm, 64 kt for typhoon strength and 96 kt for major intensity, on the Saffir–Simpson scale in every basin. Local agencies classify storms differently, and official season summaries can differ from the archive. Accumulated cyclone energy sums squared winds at six-hourly synoptic times, counting observations in the calendar year. Storms with no US-agency wind are mapped but cannot enter the counts.

The map frame is the same for every Western Pacific season, so a track that leaves it is cut at the edge. Lines show each storm’s center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Coastlines use Natural Earth’s 1:10m land data.

Archive retrieved

NOAA IBTrACS archive · Field documentation

Sources & methodology