1979 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Vera 1979
Typhoon Vera crossed northern Luzon in November 1979 after a short, intense peak over the Philippine Sea. The storm then encountered strong monsoon winds that accelerated its decline over the South China Sea.
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161 mph
Nov 4, 1979 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid strengthening in November
Vera began as a disturbance in the near-equatorial trough in late October. It organized into a tropical storm on 2 November and reached typhoon strength the following day. Peak archived one-minute winds reached 140 kt on 4 November.
Reconnaissance indicated that Vera maintained its strongest phase for about a day before weakening toward the Philippines. Its inflow became restricted as the circulation approached Luzon, and the typhoon made landfall north of Tarigtig Point on 6 November.
Weakening under the northeast monsoon
After the Luzon crossing, low-level northeasterly winds and strong upper-level southwesterlies disrupted Vera. The northeast monsoon drove the weakening system southwest across the South China Sea. The archive retains its later circulation through 10 November.
Six deaths were reported in the Philippines. Damage was estimated at 4.5 million Philippine pesos, equivalent to about US$610,000 at the time.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Vera in brief
What was Typhoon Vera's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 4, 1979, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Vera?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 4, 1979, 03:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Vera's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 4, 1979, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Vera occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 27, 1979, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 10, 1979, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 27, 1979, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 9, 1979, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Vera form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1979 season. Its first archived position is 4.1°N, 165.9°E on Oct 27, 1979, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Vera make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 98 mph on Nov 6, 1979, 09:00 AM 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