1956 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Wanda 1956
Typhoon Wanda drove a destructive storm surge onto the Zhejiang coast in August 1956. After strengthening over the western Pacific and passing through the Ryukyu region, it crossed the East China Sea and struck China. Coastal flooding destroyed defenses, boats and crops on a vast scale.
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184 mph
Jul 30, 1956 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From the Marianas to the East China Sea
Wanda developed near Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in late July. It first moved north-northeast, then turned west under the influence of a subtropical ridge. Warm water and low wind shear supported intensification as it approached the Ryukyus.
The archive records peak one-minute sustained winds of 160 kt on 30 July. Wanda passed through the Miyako Islands and weakened before reaching Zhejiang near Zhoushan and Ningbo on 1 August. The strongest sampled center-over-land observation carries 120 kt, still a Category 4 equivalent.
Surge and destruction in Zhejiang
A reported storm surge of 5.02 m struck the Zhejiang coast. The flooding destroyed 465 seawalls and 902 boats, inundated agricultural fields and ruined 20,380 tons of wheat. Across the province, about 2.2 million houses suffered damage, along with more than a third of the main roads.
The reported national toll was 4,935 people killed and 16,617 injured. Taiwan also received heavy rain as Wanda passed to the north, with Taipei recording 297.3 mm over three days. Wanda weakened inland over China, and its archived track continues through 5 August.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Wanda in brief
What was Typhoon Wanda's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Jul 30, 1956, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Wanda?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Jul 29, 1956, 09:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Wanda's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Jul 30, 1956, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Wanda occur?
The archived track runs from Jul 24, 1956, 06:00 PM UTC to Aug 5, 1956, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Jul 26, 1956, 12:00 AM UTC to Aug 3, 1956, 09:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Wanda form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1956 season. Its first archived position is 13.2°N, 144.8°E on Jul 24, 1956, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Wanda make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 138 mph on Aug 1, 1956, 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