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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1961 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 51 storms · 14 Jan 1961–13 Dec 1961

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY361.2
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1961 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 51 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 BengalRita: 14 Jan–19 Jan, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormSusan: 27 Feb–1 Mar, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionTess: 23 Mar–31 Mar, peak 130 kt, Category 4Viola: 9 Apr–12 Apr, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 6 May–9 May, no US-agency windAlice: 15 May–20 May, peak 75 kt, Category 1Betty: 21 May–28 May, peak 130 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 24 May–30 May, no US-agency windUnnamed: 1 Jun–5 Jun, no US-agency windUnnamed: 4 Jun–6 Jun, no US-agency windCora: 21 Jun–25 Jun, peak 70 kt, Category 1Doris: 24 Jun–3 Jul, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 25 Jun–27 Jun, no US-agency windUnnamed: 26 Jun–27 Jun, no US-agency windDoris: 30 Jun–1 Jul, no US-agency windUnnamed: 4 Jul–5 Jul, no US-agency windElsie: 10 Jul–15 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1Flossie: 15 Jul–19 Jul, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormGrace: 17 Jul–25 Jul, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormHelen: 25 Jul–3 Aug, peak 90 kt, Category 2Ida: 27 Jul–31 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1June: 1 Aug–8 Aug, peak 95 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 8 Aug–10 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 8 Aug–10 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 9 Aug–10 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 10 Aug–11 Aug, no US-agency windKathy: 14 Aug–17 Aug, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 14 Aug–16 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 18 Aug–19 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 19 Aug–21 Aug, no US-agency windLorna: 19 Aug–26 Aug, peak 120 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 25 Aug–29 Aug, no US-agency windMarie: 29 Aug–4 Sep, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 29 Aug–31 Aug, no US-agency windOlga: 6 Sep–11 Sep, peak 70 kt, Category 1Pamela: 8 Sep–12 Sep, peak 155 kt, Category 5Nancy: 7 Sep–16 Sep, peak 185 kt, Category 5Ruby: 20 Sep–24 Sep, no US-agency windSally: 25 Sep–1 Oct, peak 70 kt, Category 1Tilda: 26 Sep–5 Oct, peak 140 kt, Category 5Violet: 3 Oct–10 Oct, peak 180 kt, Category 5Wilda: 5 Oct–13 Oct, no US-agency windUnnamed: 12 Oct–13 Oct, no US-agency windAnita: 18 Oct–22 Oct, no US-agency windBillie: 20 Oct–29 Oct, peak 70 kt, Category 1Clara: 25 Oct–1 Nov, peak 75 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 31 Oct–1 Nov, no US-agency windUnnamed: 6 Nov–6 Nov, no US-agency windDot: 7 Nov–15 Nov, peak 140 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 20 Nov–25 Nov, no US-agency windEllen: 6 Dec–13 Dec, peak 130 kt, Category 4

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1961 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Rita–40Tropical storm9961,380
Susan–30Tropical depression—320
Tess–130Cat 49403,010
Viola–50Tropical storm—470
Unnamed–—Unclassified—580
Alice–75Cat 19802,990
Betty–130Cat 49454,640
Unnamed–—Unclassified—940
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,900
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,150
Cora–70Cat 1985950
Doris–45Tropical storm9905,630
Unnamed–—Unclassified996610
Unnamed–—Unclassified—300
Doris–—Unclassified—150
Unnamed–—Unclassified—730
Elsie–80Cat 19752,440
Flossie–45Tropical storm9922,370
Grace–40Tropical storm—1,680
Helen–90Cat 29703,070
Ida–80Cat 19801,360
June–95Cat 29601,300
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,410
Unnamed–—Unclassified1000530
Unnamed–—Unclassified—230
Unnamed–—Unclassified—690
Kathy–80Cat 19881,640
Unnamed–—Unclassified—460
Unnamed–—Unclassified—780
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,080
Lorna–120Cat 49501,760
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,310
Marie–50Tropical storm9962,480
Unnamed–—Unclassified—520
Olga–70Cat 19851,390
Nancy–185Cat 58906,060
Pamela–155Cat 59102,600
Ruby–—Unclassified9921,530
Sally–70Cat 19802,880
Tilda–140Cat 59255,000
Violet–180Cat 58952,720
Wilda–—Unclassified9901,800
Unnamed–—Unclassified—810
Anita–—Unclassified—1,720
Billie–70Cat 19704,070
Clara–75Cat 19851,760
Unnamed–—Unclassified—180
Unnamed–—Unclassified—0
Dot–140Cat 59303,450
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,070
Ellen–130Cat 49451,530

51 storms with an IBTrACS 1961 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 14 Jan 1961, last 13 Dec 1961.

Tropical storms26

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

Typhoons20

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)9

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 55

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormNancy

185 kt · 213 mph / 343 km/h

Lowest pressure890 hPa

Nancy, 12 Sept 1961

Longest track record18.3 days

Doris, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind24

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1961 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1961 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 20 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 26 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 1961 Pacific typhoon season?

Nancy, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 185 kt (Category 5) on 12 Sept 1961, 00:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 890 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1961?

5 storms in the 1961 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Pamela, Nancy, Tilda, Violet, Dot.

When did the 1961 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 14 Jan 1961 and the last on 13 Dec 1961, from 51 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1961 Pacific typhoon season?

Tess, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 25 Mar 1961, 00:00 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 1961 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