1952 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Wilma 1952
Typhoon Wilma crossed the western Pacific in October 1952, reaching Category 5 strength before passing through the Philippines. It continued across the South China Sea and reached Vietnam as a tropical storm, completing a westward journey from Micronesian waters to mainland Southeast Asia.
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184 mph
Oct 25, 1952 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Strengthening toward the Philippines
The archive begins Wilma's track on 21 October near 5.5°N, 152°E. Over the following days, the storm traveled west toward the Philippines and intensified. US-agency estimates first reached Category 5 strength at 12:00 UTC on 25 October, then peaked at 160 kt at 00:00 UTC on 26 October.
Through the Philippines and across the South China Sea
Wilma weakened before crossing the Philippines. At 21:00 UTC on 27 October, the sampled archive places its center over land near 12.4°N, 121.3°E, with sustained winds of 80 kt. That observation describes a much weaker cyclone than the Category 5 storm recorded east of the islands.
After emerging into the South China Sea, Wilma continued toward Vietnam. It made landfall there as a tropical storm and dissipated on 31 October. The archived track spans ten days, following the cyclone from the western Pacific across the Philippine archipelago to the Asian mainland.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Wilma in brief
What was Typhoon Wilma's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 26, 1952, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Wilma?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 25, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Wilma's lowest pressure?
930 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 25, 1952, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Wilma occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 21, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 31, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 21, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 31, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Wilma form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1952 season. Its first archived position is 5.5°N, 152°E on Oct 21, 1952, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Typhoon Wilma make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 2 recorded positions; the strongest is 92 mph on Oct 27, 1952, 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