The 1945 Pacific typhoon season was the first official season to be included in the West Pacific typhoon database. It was also the first season to name storms. It has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1945, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Quick Facts Seasonal boundaries, First system formed ...
1945 Pacific typhoon season
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Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedApril 19, 1945
Last system dissipatedDecember 2, 1945
Strongest storm
NameIda
  Maximum winds130 km/h (80 mph)
(1-minute sustained)
  Lowest pressure917 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Total storms26
Typhoons13
Super typhoons0 (unofficial)
Total fatalities>3,798
Total damageUnknown
Related articles
Pacific typhoon seasons
1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947
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The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1945 Pacific hurricane season. Predecessor agency to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Fleet Weather Center/Typhoon Tracking Center was established on the island of Guam in June 1945, after multiple typhoons, including Typhoon Cobra in the previous season and Typhoon Connie in this season, had caused a significant loss of men and ships.[1][2] It would not take major responsibility in the West Pacific basin until 1950 season.[1] Instead, storms in this season are identified and named by the United States Armed Services, and these names are taken from the list that USAS publicly adopted before this season had started earlier this year.[3][4] Since this is the first season to be included in the West Pacific typhoon database, this would also be the first season where the names of Western Pacific tropical cyclones are preserved publicly.

Systems

Tropical Storm Ann

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationApril 19 – April 26
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)
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The first named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ann formed on April 19 at relatively low latitude of 9.5°N. Ann generally tracked westward and later reached its peak intensity on April 21, before weakening to a tropical depression on April 23. The storm began to curve north the next day, and overall did not affect any landmasses and dissipated on April 26.[5]

Tropical Storm Betty

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationMay 13 – May 16
Peak intensity100 km/h (65 mph) (1-min);
994 hPa (mbar)
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The second named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Betty formed on May 13, 1945, and began to move in a northeastern direction. It strengthened into a tropical storm only 18 hours later and continued on its path. However, the storm eventually moved further north, and into colder waters. Betty weakened into a tropical depression and dissipated on May 16, having not threatened land at all.

Typhoon Connie

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationJune 1 – June 7
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
980 hPa (mbar)
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Radar image of typhoon Connie on June 5 by USS Shangri-La (CV-38)

A small yet powerful typhoon, Connie was first spotted on June 1 by the Fleet Weather Center on Guam, moving northeast. Winds were reported to have been as high as 140 mph. But by June 7, it began to weaken. Its final fate is unknown.

The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet was hit by Connie, and reporting about the storm frequently refers to it as Typhoon Viper. The same fleet had previously been hit, with great loss of life, by Cobra the previous year. Connie being lesser, only one officer and five seamen were lost or killed because of Connie, and around 150 airplanes on its carriers were either lost or damaged.

Tropical Storm Doris

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationJune 18 – June 21
Peak intensity85 km/h (50 mph) (1-min);
997 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Doris existed from June 18 to 21 and did not make landfall.

Tropical Storm Nancy

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationJuly 3 – July 8
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
992 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Nancy formed on July 3 to the east of Vietnam. It started to move in a northeast direction before shifting its course to the northwest until it eventually made landfall near Hong Kong as a tropical storm. It rapidly weakened over land and dissipated on June 8. The damage is unknown.

Typhoon Opal

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationJuly 14 – July 22
Peak intensity120 km/h (75 mph) (1-min);
986 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Peggy

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationJuly 22 – July 23
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min);
998 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Edna

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationJuly 27 – July 29
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Eva

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationJuly 30 – August 4
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
978 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Queenie

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 5 – August 9
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
976 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Queenie was a storm that formed over the Northeastern part of the Philippines on August 5th, 1945, and dissipated on August 9th, 1945. It had 1-minute sustained winds of 90 mph and a pressure reading of 976mb. Queenie would form close to the Philippines and make its way over the Northern part, eventually making its way back to the sea where is later dissipated. Damages and Fatalities are unknown.

Tropical Storm Frances

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 9 – August 13
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
992 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Grace

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 15 – August 22
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (1-min);
985 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Ruth

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 22 – August 28
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
978 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Susan

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 23 – August 28
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
968 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Tess

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 23 – August 25
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
980 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Helen

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationAugust 29 – September 4
Peak intensity195 km/h (120 mph) (1-min);
965 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Helen formed on August 29. It moved west-northwest and strengthened into a category 3 typhoon with 120 mph winds. It weakened slightly to a category two and struck Taiwan. It briefly was over waters before it hit Mainland China as a tropical storm. It rapidly weakened and dissipated on September 4.

Typhoon Ursula

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 7 – September 15
Peak intensity165 km/h (105 mph) (1-min);
968 hPa (mbar)
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This typhoon is especially remembered for the 6 aircraft containing liberated prisoners of war brought down by the typhoon between Okinawa and Manila. Over 120 servicemen lost their lives. At the time, it was the single greatest loss of life in an aviation disaster during peacetime.[6]

Typhoon Ida

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 10 – September 20
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
917 hPa (mbar)
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In Japan, Typhoon Ida is called Makurazaki Typhoon. It was the strongest typhoon to hit Kyushu on record, with a minimum sea-level pressure of 916.1 hPa (27.05 inHg) observed on the land and a maximum wind gust of 62.7 metres per second (140 mph), which was recorded at a weather station in Makurazaki.[7] More than 2,000 people were killed in the Hiroshima Prefecture after heavy rains brought by a weakening Ida caused severe landslides.[8]

Tropical Storm Verna

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 20 – September 22
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
988 hPa (mbar)
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Tropical Storm Wanda

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 21 – September 24
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
998 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Jean

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 25 – October 2
Peak intensity165 km/h (105 mph) (1-min);
963 hPa (mbar)
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On October 1, a USAF PB4Y-2 went down during a flight into the typhoon, killing six of the seven crew members aboard.[9]

Tropical Storm Kate

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationSeptember 28 – October 6
Peak intensity110 km/h (70 mph) (1-min);
980 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Louise

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationOctober 2 – October 12
Peak intensity120 km/h (75 mph) (1-min);
969 hPa (mbar)
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Louise was first seen developing on October 2, 1945, in the Caroline Islands. It unexpectedly veered north and slowed down, only to intensify as it passed over Okinawa on October 9 with 90 mph wind gusts and a minimum central pressure of 968.5 mbar. Shortly after, Louise began to weaken, and hit Japan as a strong tropical storm. The tropical cyclone became extratropical shortly after on October 12. In Okinawa, 36 people died, 47 people were reported missing, and 100 people were seriously injured.

In Buckner Bay, where the US military were occupying a temporary base, 30 ft (9.1 m) to 35 ft (11 m) waves were reported to have crashed ashore, tearing into Quonset huts and other buildings. At the time, Buckner Bay was being used as a port by the US military. Fifteen merchant ships were driven ashore, with a few wrecked. Three US Navy destroyers were grounded and declared beyond salvage. Over 200 other US military vessels, including six LSTs, a number of special purpose boats, patrol boats, and amphibious landing craft were grounded, severely damaged, or wrecked beyond repair. Eighty percent of the buildings in the bay were completely wiped out, while all 60 airplanes at the local airports were damaged.[10]

Tropical Storm Marge

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationNovember 1 – November 4
Peak intensity85 km/h (50 mph) (1-min);
996 hPa (mbar)
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A tropical storm was tracked on November 1 to the northwest of the Marianas. It moved to the west, before making landfall on Tayabas (now Quezon) in the Philippines. It was last noted on November 4 over modern-day Aurora Province. The damage is unknown.

Tropical Storm Yvonne

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
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DurationNovember 14 – November 17
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
999 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Nora

Quick Facts Duration, Peak intensity ...
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
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DurationNovember 22 – December 2
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
971 hPa (mbar)
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Typhoon Nora formed on November 22, 1945, and began to move towards the Philippines. It became a typhoon and a category 1 equivalent storm on the SSHWS scale. The slow-moving storm moved towards the Philippines, but it turned northeast at the last moment, moving over colder waters and dissipating.

Storm names

  • Ann
  • Betty
  • Connie
  • Doris
  • Nancy
  • Opal
  • Peggy
  • Edna
  • Eva
  • Queenie
  • Frances
  • Grace
  • Ruth
  • Susan
  • Tess
  • Helen
  • Ursula
  • Ida
  • Verna
  • Wanda
  • Jean
  • Kate
  • Louise
  • Marge
  • Yvonne
  • Nora

See also

References

Bibliography

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