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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1978 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 39 storms · 6 Jan 1978–16 Dec 1978

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY236.8
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1978 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 39 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 BengalNadine: 6 Jan–13 Jan, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormOlive: 15 Apr–1 May, peak 85 kt, Category 2Polly: 13 Jun–20 Jun, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormRose: 21 Jun–25 Jun, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 25 Jun–25 Jun, no US-agency windShirley: 26 Jun–1 Jul, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 7 Jul–10 Jul, no US-agency windTrix: 11 Jul–23 Jul, peak 70 kt, Category 1Virginia: 22 Jul–3 Aug, peak 70 kt, Category 1Wendy: 22 Jul–3 Aug, peak 80 kt, Category 1Agnes: 22 Jul–30 Jul, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormBess:Bonnie: 4 Aug–13 Aug, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormCarmen: 9 Aug–20 Aug, peak 80 kt, Category 1Della: 9 Aug–13 Aug, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 14 Aug–21 Aug, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionUnnamed: 14 Aug–16 Aug, no US-agency windElaine: 18 Aug–29 Aug, peak 65 kt, Category 1Faye: 25 Aug–11 Sep, peak 105 kt, Category 3Gloria: 27 Aug–5 Sep, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormHester: 28 Aug–1 Sep, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 9 Sep–15 Sep, no US-agency windJudy: 9 Sep–17 Sep, peak 90 kt, Category 2Irma: 9 Sep–15 Sep, peak 65 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 17 Sep–20 Sep, no US-agency windKit: 19 Sep–28 Sep, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormLola: 20 Sep–5 Oct, peak 75 kt, Category 1Mamie: 29 Sep–5 Oct, peak 70 kt, Category 1Nina: 5 Oct–17 Oct, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormOra: 8 Oct–15 Oct, peak 85 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 9 Oct–12 Oct, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionUnnamed: 10 Oct–15 Oct, peak 20 kt, Tropical depressionPhyllis: 13 Oct–22 Oct, peak 95 kt, Category 2Rita: 16 Oct–30 Oct, peak 150 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 30 Oct–3 Nov, no US-agency windTess: 31 Oct–6 Nov, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 15 Nov–20 Nov, peak 25 kt, Tropical depressionViola: 16 Nov–24 Nov, peak 125 kt, Category 4Winnie: 25 Nov–30 Nov, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 14 Dec–16 Dec, no US-agency wind

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1978 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Nadine–60Tropical storm9702,110
Olive–85Cat 29554,330
Polly–50Tropical storm9853,770
Rose–40Tropical storm990900
Unnamed–—Unclassified—950
Shirley–35Tropical storm9921,730
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,040
Trix–70Cat 19653,790
Virginia–70Cat 19753,320
Wendy–80Cat 19604,270
Agnes–50Tropical storm9801,260
Bess:Bonnie–40Tropical storm9851,960
Carmen–80Cat 19602,450
Della–45Tropical storm9851,250
Unnamed–30Tropical depression9982,970
Unnamed–—Unclassified—460
Elaine–65Cat 19652,340
Faye–105Cat 39353,960
Gloria–40Tropical storm9921,750
Hester–50Tropical storm9901,620
Unnamed–—Unclassified—920
Irma–65Cat 19701,420
Judy–90Cat 29502,560
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,260
Kit–50Tropical storm9902,420
Lola–75Cat 19652,900
Mamie–70Cat 19602,490
Nina–60Tropical storm9752,230
Ora–85Cat 29404,420
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—1,280
Unnamed–20Tropical depression—1,910
Phyllis–95Cat 29553,120
Rita–150Cat 58804,390
Unnamed–—Unclassified9921,430
Tess–60Tropical storm9753,060
Unnamed–25Tropical depression—440
Viola–125Cat 49102,750
Winnie–55Tropical storm9802,830
Unnamed–—Unclassified—860

39 storms with an IBTrACS 1978 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 6 Jan 1978, last 16 Dec 1978.

Tropical storms28

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

Typhoons15

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)3

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 51

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormRita

150 kt · 173 mph / 278 km/h

Lowest pressure880 hPa

Rita, 25 Oct 1978

Longest track record17.3 days

Wendy, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind7

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1978 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1978 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 15 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 28 tropical storms, with 3 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1978 Pacific typhoon season?

Rita, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 150 kt (Category 5) on 23 Oct 1978, 06:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 880 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1978?

1 storm in the 1978 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Rita.

When did the 1978 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 6 Jan 1978 and the last on 16 Dec 1978, from 39 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1978 Pacific typhoon season?

Olive, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 22 Apr 1978, 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 1978 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