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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1962 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 42 storms · 2 Feb 1962–10 Dec 1962

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY415.1
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1962 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 42 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 BengalFran: 2 Feb–6 Feb, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormGeorgia: 15 Apr–24 Apr, peak 130 kt, Category 4Hope: 15 May–22 May, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 23 May–23 May, no US-agency windIris: 26 May–29 May, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormJoan: 6 Jul–10 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 8 Jul–12 Jul, no US-agency windUnnamed: 9 Jul–13 Jul, no US-agency windKate: 18 Jul–23 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 17 Jul–17 Jul, no US-agency windLouise: 20 Jul–28 Jul, peak 80 kt, Category 1Nora: 28 Jul–3 Aug, peak 75 kt, Category 1Marge: 28 Jul–29 Jul, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 29 Jul–31 Jul, no US-agency windOpal: 30 Jul–8 Aug, peak 145 kt, Category 5Patsy: 5 Aug–11 Aug, peak 65 kt, Category 1Ruth: 13 Aug–23 Aug, peak 160 kt, Category 5Sarah: 14 Aug–22 Aug, peak 75 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 14 Aug–15 Aug, no US-agency windThelma: 20 Aug–26 Aug, peak 115 kt, Category 4Vera: 24 Aug–28 Aug, peak 70 kt, Category 1Wanda: 27 Aug–1 Sep, peak 95 kt, Category 2Amy: 28 Aug–7 Sep, peak 140 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 5 Sep–6 Sep, no US-agency windBabe:Babs: 11 Sep–19 Sep, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 14 Sep–16 Sep, no US-agency windCarla:Clara: 18 Sep–23 Sep, peak 70 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 20 Sep–23 Sep, no US-agency windUnnamed: 22 Sep–28 Sep, no US-agency windDinah: 24 Sep–5 Oct, peak 100 kt, Category 3Emma: 1 Oct–12 Oct, peak 140 kt, Category 5Freda: 1 Oct–10 Oct, peak 100 kt, Category 3Gilda: 18 Oct–30 Oct, peak 115 kt, Category 4Harriet: 21 Oct–26 Oct, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 21 Oct–22 Oct, no US-agency windIvy: 27 Oct–29 Oct, peak 100 kt, Category 3Jean: 4 Nov–14 Nov, peak 90 kt, Category 2Karen: 7 Nov–17 Nov, peak 160 kt, Category 5Lucy: 25 Nov–1 Dec, peak 100 kt, Category 3Unnamed: 25 Nov–29 Nov, no US-agency windMary: 1 Dec–3 Dec, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormNadine: 6 Dec–10 Dec, peak 50 kt, Tropical storm

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Fran–45Tropical storm1002460
Georgia–130Cat 49303,670
Hope–80Cat 19804,300
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,080
Iris–60Tropical storm9901,060
Joan–80Cat 19853,380
Unnamed–—Unclassified—570
Unnamed–—Unclassified—980
Unnamed–—Unclassified—240
Kate–80Cat 19701,750
Louise–80Cat 19602,330
Marge–40Tropical storm1002270
Nora–75Cat 19684,880
Unnamed–—Unclassified—460
Opal–145Cat 59005,710
Patsy–65Cat 19882,460
Ruth–160Cat 59154,230
Unnamed–—Unclassified—430
Sarah–75Cat 19753,500
Thelma–115Cat 49503,820
Vera–70Cat 1990940
Wanda–95Cat 29603,180
Amy–140Cat 59404,030
Unnamed–—Unclassified—480
Babe:Babs–55Tropical storm9941,900
Unnamed–—Unclassified10022,580
Carla:Clara–70Cat 19851,180
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,930
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,850
Dinah–100Cat 39552,320
Emma–140Cat 58904,150
Freda–100Cat 39502,250
Gilda–115Cat 49554,220
Unnamed–—Unclassified—250
Harriet–50Tropical storm10001,620
Ivy–100Cat 3996630
Jean–90Cat 29752,920
Karen–160Cat 59004,870
Lucy–100Cat 39752,720
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,560
Mary–45Tropical storm—290
Nadine–50Tropical storm9752,820

42 storms with an IBTrACS 1962 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 2 Feb 1962, last 10 Dec 1962.

Tropical storms30

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

Typhoons23

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)12

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 55

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormRuth

160 kt · 184 mph / 296 km/h

Lowest pressure890 hPa

Emma, 5 Oct 1962

Longest track record15.8 days

Jean, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind12

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1962 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1962 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 23 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 30 tropical storms, with 12 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season?

Ruth, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 160 kt (Category 5) on 16 Aug 1962, 18:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 915 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1962?

5 storms in the 1962 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Opal, Ruth, Amy, Emma, Karen.

When did the 1962 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 2 Feb 1962 and the last on 10 Dec 1962, from 42 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season?

Georgia, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 17 Apr 1962, 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 1962 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