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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

2015 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 31 storms · 13 Jan 2015–27 Dec 2015

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY436.8
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2015 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 31 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 BengalMekkhala: 13 Jan–20 Jan, peak 70 kt, Category 1Higos: 6 Feb–12 Feb, peak 130 kt, Category 4Bavi: 10 Mar–21 Mar, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormMaysak: 26 Mar–7 Apr, peak 150 kt, Category 5Haishen: 3 Apr–6 Apr, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormNoul: 2 May–11 May, peak 140 kt, Category 5Dolphin: 6 May–20 May, peak 140 kt, Category 5Kujira: 19 Jun–25 Jun, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormChan-Hom: 29 Jun–13 Jul, peak 120 kt, Category 4Linfa: 1 Jul–10 Jul, peak 75 kt, Category 1Nangka: 2 Jul–18 Jul, peak 135 kt, Category 4Halola: 12 Jul–26 Jul, peak 85 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 23 Jul–25 Jul, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormSoudelor: 29 Jul–12 Aug, peak 155 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 2 Aug–4 Aug, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionMolave: 6 Aug–13 Aug, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormGoni: 14 Aug–25 Aug, peak 120 kt, Category 4Atsani: 14 Aug–24 Aug, peak 140 kt, Category 5Etau: 6 Sep–9 Sep, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormVamco: 13 Sep–15 Sep, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormKrovanh: 13 Sep–20 Sep, peak 100 kt, Category 3Dujuan: 19 Sep–29 Sep, peak 130 kt, Category 4Mujigae: 30 Sep–5 Oct, peak 115 kt, Category 4Choi-Wan: 1 Oct–7 Oct, peak 70 kt, Category 1Koppu: 12 Oct–21 Oct, peak 130 kt, Category 4Champi: 12 Oct–25 Oct, peak 125 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 19 Oct–23 Oct, no US-agency windIn-Fa: 17 Nov–26 Nov, peak 120 kt, Category 4Melor: 10 Dec–17 Dec, peak 125 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 14 Dec–18 Dec, peak 25 kt, Tropical depressionUnnamed: 27 Dec–27 Dec, no US-agency wind

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 2015 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Mekkhala–70Cat 19701,780
Higos–130Cat 4926770
Bavi–50Tropical storm9853,260
Maysak–150Cat 59112,920
Haishen–45Tropical storm989700
Noul–140Cat 59184,910
Dolphin–140Cat 59185,220
Kujira–50Tropical storm985640
Chan-Hom–120Cat 49333,690
Linfa–75Cat 19671,390
Nangka–135Cat 49223,530
Halola–85Cat 29593,480
Unnamed–35Tropical storm996610
Soudelor–155Cat 59073,670
Unnamed–30Tropical depression1000550
Molave–45Tropical storm9893,190
Goni–120Cat 49333,790
Atsani–140Cat 59183,280
Etau–60Tropical storm9781,620
Vamco–35Tropical storm996490
Krovanh–100Cat 39483,360
Dujuan–130Cat 49262,180
Mujigae–115Cat 49371,540
Choi-Wan–70Cat 19703,150
Koppu–130Cat 49262,070
Champi–125Cat 49294,240
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,220
In-Fa–120Cat 49333,460
Melor–125Cat 49291,660
Unnamed–25Tropical depression10041,370
Unnamed–—Unclassified—20

31 storms with an IBTrACS 2015 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 13 Jan 2015, last 27 Dec 2015.

Tropical storms27

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

Typhoons20

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)16

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 55

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormSoudelor

155 kt · 178 mph / 287 km/h

Lowest pressure907 hPa

Soudelor, 3 Aug 2015

Longest track record17.6 days

Dolphin, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind2

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 2015 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 2015 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 20 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 27 tropical storms, with 16 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 2015 Pacific typhoon season?

Soudelor, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 155 kt (Category 5) on 3 Aug 2015, 18:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 907 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 2015?

5 storms in the 2015 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Maysak, Noul, Dolphin, Soudelor, Atsani.

When did the 2015 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 13 Jan 2015 and the last on 27 Dec 2015, from 31 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 2015 Pacific typhoon season?

Mekkhala, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 16 Jan 2015, 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 2015 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