1963 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Shirley 1963
Typhoon Shirley curved north through the Philippine Sea in June 1963 before crossing the East China Sea toward Korea. It reached Category 5 strength east of the Philippines, then weakened along its northward route. The later track extends into the far northern Pacific.
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161 mph
Jun 16, 1963 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening east of the Philippines
The first archived position lies near 12.7°N, 135.3°E on 12 June. Shirley initially moved west and then north, strengthening over the Philippine Sea. At 00:00 UTC on 16 June, its one-minute sustained winds reached 140 kt and its pressure fell to 935 hPa.
Through the East China Sea toward Korea
Shirley moved northwest through the Ryukyu region and into the East China Sea, weakening as it gained latitude. It then turned northeast toward the Korean Peninsula. A sampled center-over-land observation late on 19 June carries winds of 58 kt.
The tropical-stage observations end early on 20 June. Later positions continue northeast past Japan and toward the date line, with the full archive ending on 26 June.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Shirley in brief
What was Typhoon Shirley's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jun 16, 1963, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Shirley?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jun 15, 1963, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Shirley's lowest pressure?
935 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jun 16, 1963, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Shirley occur?
The archived track runs from Jun 12, 1963, 06:00 AM UTC to Jun 26, 1963, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jun 12, 1963, 06:00 AM UTC to Jun 20, 1963, 03:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Shirley form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1963 season. Its first archived position is 12.7°N, 135.3°E on Jun 12, 1963, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Shirley make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 67 mph on Jun 19, 1963, 09:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology