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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1987 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 29 storms · 6 Jan 1987–20 Dec 1987

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY355.9
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1987 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 29 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 BengalOrchid: 6 Jan–14 Jan, peak 95 kt, Category 2Percy: 3 Apr–16 Apr, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormRuth: 16 Jun–20 Jun, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 17 Jun–18 Jun, no US-agency windSperry: 24 Jun–1 Jul, peak 75 kt, Category 1Thelma: 6 Jul–16 Jul, peak 130 kt, Category 4Vernon: 15 Jul–22 Jul, peak 65 kt, Category 1Wynne: 20 Jul–1 Aug, peak 125 kt, Category 4Alex: 21 Jul–29 Jul, peak 65 kt, Category 1Betty: 7 Aug–17 Aug, peak 140 kt, Category 5Cary: 7 Aug–24 Aug, peak 85 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 9 Aug–13 Aug, no US-agency windUnnamed: 18 Aug–20 Aug, no US-agency windDinah: 19 Aug–31 Aug, peak 130 kt, Category 4Ed: 20 Aug–28 Aug, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormHolly: 1 Sep–17 Sep, peak 140 kt, Category 5Gerald: 2 Sep–11 Sep, peak 105 kt, Category 3Unnamed: 2 Sep–5 Sep, no US-agency windFreda: 3 Sep–17 Sep, peak 125 kt, Category 4Ian: 22 Sep–4 Oct, peak 110 kt, Category 3Unnamed: 24 Sep–26 Sep, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionJune: 27 Sep–2 Oct, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormPeke: 28 Sep–6 Oct, peak 100 kt, Category 3Kelly: 9 Oct–17 Oct, peak 95 kt, Category 2Lynn: 14 Oct–28 Oct, peak 140 kt, Category 5Maury: 7 Nov–19 Nov, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormNina: 16 Nov–30 Nov, peak 145 kt, Category 5Ogden: 20 Nov–25 Nov, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormPhyllis: 9 Dec–20 Dec, peak 100 kt, Category 3

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1987 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Orchid–95Cat 29552,260
Percy–40Tropical storm10002,230
Ruth–35Tropical storm992780
Unnamed–—Unclassified—220
Sperry–75Cat 19803,310
Thelma–130Cat 49153,610
Vernon–65Cat 19852,250
Wynne–125Cat 49206,000
Alex–65Cat 19703,490
Betty–140Cat 58902,210
Cary–85Cat 29603,660
Unnamed–—Unclassified10062,320
Unnamed–—Unclassified—630
Dinah–130Cat 49155,460
Ed–35Tropical storm—1,950
Holly–140Cat 59002,900
Gerald–105Cat 39501,320
Unnamed–—Unclassified—690
Freda–125Cat 49153,690
Ian–110Cat 39553,680
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—360
June–40Tropical storm9921,790
Peke–100Cat 39501,920
Kelly–95Cat 29553,540
Lynn–140Cat 59203,320
Maury–45Tropical storm9942,490
Nina–145Cat 59304,130
Ogden–45Tropical storm—1,210
Phyllis–100Cat 39602,820

29 storms with an IBTrACS 1987 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 6 Jan 1987, last 20 Dec 1987.

Tropical storms24

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

Typhoons18

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)12

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 54

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormNina

145 kt · 167 mph / 269 km/h

Lowest pressure890 hPa

Betty, 11 Aug 1987

Longest track record17.5 days

Cary, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind4

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1987 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1987 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 18 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 24 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 1987 Pacific typhoon season?

Nina, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 145 kt (Category 5) on 25 Nov 1987, 12:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 930 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1987?

4 storms in the 1987 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Betty, Holly, Lynn, Nina.

When did the 1987 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 6 Jan 1987 and the last on 20 Dec 1987, from 29 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1987 Pacific typhoon season?

Orchid, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 10 Jan 1987, 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 1987 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