1961 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Violet 1961
Typhoon Violet began with an unusual southward movement in October 1961 before curving northwest and strengthening over the Pacific. It reached extreme intensity offshore, then weakened before clipping Japan's Boso Peninsula. Ships encountered dangerous seas even though land impacts were limited compared with its oceanic strength.
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207 mph
Oct 7, 1961 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Southward before the turn
Violet developed southwest of Marcus Island, initially moving south around a high-pressure system. As the ridge shifted, it turned northwest and intensified. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 180 kt and a minimum pressure of 895 hPa at 06:00 UTC on 7 October.
Weaker near Japan, dangerous at sea
Violet curved north and weakened before passing the Boso Peninsula near Tokyo. Early preparations helped limit damage in Japan, where the historical account records two deaths. Guam's reported damage was light and mainly affected crops.
The freighter Pioneer Muse stranded in the Daito Islands on 9 October. Rescuers saved everyone aboard, and its cargo of military equipment was later recovered. Violet lost its tropical character near Japan; the local archive continues through 11 October.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Violet in brief
What was Typhoon Violet's highest wind speed?
207 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 7, 1961, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Violet?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 6, 1961, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Violet's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 7, 1961, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Violet occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 2, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 11, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 3, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC to Oct 10, 1961, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Violet form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1961 season. Its first archived position is 21.8°N, 151.7°E on Oct 2, 1961, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Violet make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 69 mph on Oct 10, 1961, 12:00 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