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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1973 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 30 storms · 29 Jun 1973–27 Dec 1973

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY146.7
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1973 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 30 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 BengalWilda: 29 Jun–3 Jul, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormAnita: 3 Jul–10 Jul, peak 70 kt, Category 1Billie: 11 Jul–20 Jul, peak 130 kt, Category 4Dot: 12 Jul–21 Jul, peak 85 kt, Category 2Clara: 12 Jul–15 Jul, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormEllen: 16 Jul–29 Jul, peak 105 kt, Category 3Fran: 23 Jul–30 Jul, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormGeorgia: 5 Aug–15 Aug, peak 70 kt, Category 1Iris: 9 Aug–18 Aug, peak 85 kt, Category 2Hope: 8 Aug–12 Aug, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 12 Aug–18 Aug, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionJoan: 17 Aug–22 Aug, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormJoan: 20 Aug–21 Aug, no US-agency windKate: 20 Aug–27 Aug, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 25 Aug–27 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 29 Aug–2 Sep, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionLouise: 1 Sep–9 Sep, peak 75 kt, Category 1Marge: 11 Sep–16 Sep, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 20 Sep–22 Sep, no US-agency windNora: 1 Oct–11 Oct, peak 160 kt, Category 5Opal: 3 Oct–11 Oct, peak 75 kt, Category 1Patsy: 5 Oct–15 Oct, peak 140 kt, Category 5Ruth: 11 Oct–21 Oct, peak 90 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 28 Oct–31 Oct, no US-agency windSarah: 9 Nov–12 Nov, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormThelma: 13 Nov–18 Nov, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormVera: 16 Nov–27 Nov, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 15 Dec–17 Dec, no US-agency windUnnamed: 21 Dec–27 Dec, no US-agency windUnnamed: 24 Dec–25 Dec, no US-agency wind

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1973 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Wilda–60Tropical storm9801,760
Anita–70Cat 19801,370
Billie–130Cat 49152,300
Dot–85Cat 29752,550
Clara–55Tropical storm9851,780
Ellen–105Cat 39401,990
Fran–40Tropical storm10001,710
Georgia–70Cat 19801,510
Hope–45Tropical storm9981,300
Iris–85Cat 29704,500
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—1,730
Joan–45Tropical storm9921,870
Joan–—Unclassified—200
Kate–60Tropical storm9751,460
Unnamed–—Unclassified—370
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—720
Louise–75Cat 19752,290
Marge–80Cat 19651,660
Unnamed–—Unclassified—410
Nora–160Cat 58751,770
Opal–75Cat 19701,140
Patsy–140Cat 58952,340
Ruth–90Cat 29602,570
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,000
Sarah–55Tropical storm985940
Thelma–55Tropical storm9921,450
Vera–50Tropical storm9902,420
Unnamed–—Unclassified—770
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,730
Unnamed–—Unclassified—490

30 storms with an IBTrACS 1973 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 29 Jun 1973, last 27 Dec 1973.

Tropical storms21

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

Typhoons12

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)4

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 52

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormNora

160 kt · 184 mph / 296 km/h

Lowest pressure875 hPa

Nora, 6 Oct 1973

Longest track record14.4 days

Iris, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind7

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1973 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1973 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 12 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 21 tropical storms, with 4 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1973 Pacific typhoon season?

Nora, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 160 kt (Category 5) on 6 Oct 1973, 00:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 875 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1973?

2 storms in the 1973 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Nora, Patsy.

When did the 1973 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 29 Jun 1973 and the last on 27 Dec 1973, from 30 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1973 Pacific typhoon season?

Anita, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 7 Jul 1973, 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 1973 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