WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP
2003 Pacific typhoon season
Every recorded track, mapped · 29 storms · 11 Jan 2003–27 Dec 2003
Drag to pan · Pinch or Ctrl/⌘ + scroll to zoom. Keyboard: plus or minus to zoom, arrow keys to pan, and 0 to show the whole map.
| Yanyan | – | 50 | Tropical storm | 987 | 2,870 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kujira | – | 135 | Cat 4 | 904 | 3,880 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | 1000 | 710 |
| Chan-Hom | – | 115 | Cat 4 | 927 | 2,790 |
| Linfa | – | 55 | Tropical storm | 984 | 3,290 |
| Nangka | – | 45 | Tropical storm | 991 | 2,960 |
| Soudelor | – | 115 | Cat 4 | 927 | 5,080 |
| Koni | – | 65 | Cat 1 | 976 | 2,140 |
| Imbudo | – | 130 | Cat 4 | 910 | 3,060 |
| Morakot | – | 65 | Cat 1 | 976 | 1,190 |
| Etau | – | 110 | Cat 3 | 933 | 3,950 |
| Krovanh | – | 90 | Cat 2 | 954 | 3,380 |
| Vamco | – | 35 | Tropical storm | 997 | 890 |
| Unnamed | – | — | Unclassified | — | 210 |
| Dujuan | – | 125 | Cat 4 | 916 | 1,880 |
| Maemi | – | 150 | Cat 5 | 885 | 4,000 |
| Jimena | – | 28 | Tropical depression | 1009 | 150 |
| Choi-Wan | – | 100 | Cat 3 | 944 | 3,790 |
| Koppu | – | 90 | Cat 2 | 954 | 3,380 |
| Unnamed | – | 25 | Tropical depression | 1002 | 610 |
| Unnamed | – | 30 | Tropical depression | 1000 | 720 |
| Ketsana | – | 125 | Cat 4 | 916 | 2,140 |
| Parma | – | 130 | Cat 4 | 910 | 5,150 |
| Unnamed | – | 25 | Tropical depression | 1002 | 620 |
| Unnamed | – | 35 | Tropical storm | 997 | 1,320 |
| Melor | – | 75 | Cat 1 | 967 | 1,930 |
| Nepartak | – | 75 | Cat 1 | 967 | 2,270 |
| Lupit | – | 145 | Cat 5 | 892 | 4,980 |
| Unnamed | – | 35 | Tropical storm | 997 | 1,170 |
29 storms with an IBTrACS 2003 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 11 Jan 2003, last 27 Dec 2003.
Tropical-stage US-agency wind of 34 kt or more
64 kt or more, one-minute sustained
96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale
137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation
150 kt · 173 mph / 278 km/h
Maemi, 10 Sept 2003
Lupit, full archive record
Mapped, but outside the counts above
QUICK ANSWERS
The 2003 season in brief
How many typhoons were there in the 2003 Pacific typhoon season?
The archive records 17 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 23 tropical storms, with 11 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.
What was the strongest storm of the 2003 Pacific typhoon season?
Maemi, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 150 kt (Category 5) on 10 Sept 2003, 00:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 885 hPa.
How many Category 5 storms were there in 2003?
2 storms in the 2003 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Maemi, Lupit.
When did the 2003 Pacific typhoon season start and end?
The first tropical-stage observation is on 11 Jan 2003 and the last on 27 Dec 2003, from 29 tracked storms in the archive.
What was the first typhoon of the 2003 Pacific typhoon season?
Kujira, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 12 Apr 2003, 18:00 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 2003 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