The 1973 Pacific typhoon season, in comparison to the two years preceding it, was a below average season, with only 21 named storms and 12 typhoons forming. However, it featured Typhoon Nora, which ties Typhoon June of 1975 for the second strongest typhoon on record. It has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1973, 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.
| 1973 Pacific typhoon season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | May 12, 1973 |
| Last system dissipated | December 27, 1973 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Nora |
| • Maximum winds | 295 km/h (185 mph) (1-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 875 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 39 |
| Total storms | 21 |
| Typhoons | 12 |
| Super typhoons | 3 (unofficial) |
| Total fatalities | >1,011 |
| Total damage | > $7 million (1973 USD) |
| Related articles | |
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 1973 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
Season summary
Systems
25 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 21 became tropical storms. 12 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 3 reached super typhoon strength.[1]
Severe Tropical Storm Wilda (Atring)
Tropical Storm Wilda formed as a disturbance east of the Philippines. It traveled northwest and became a tropical depression as it made landfall on Luzon on June 30. It crossed the island, and became a tropical storm as it entered the South China Sea on 1 July. It traveled north and made landfall in southern China on the 3rd. The remnants of Wilda dissipated inland a few days later.
Typhoon Anita
Typhoon Billie (Bining)
Tropical Storm Billie, which developed on July 12 east of the Philippines, rapidly strengthened on the 14th and 15th to a 150 mph super typhoon. It tracked due north, fluctuating in intensity for the next 3 days. A building ridge over the Sea of Japan forced Billie to the northwest, where it weakened greatly, first to a tropical storm on the 18th, then to a tropical depression on the 19th as it passed over northeastern China. The storm dissipated on the 20th.
Typhoon Dot
Typhoon Dot struck Hong Kong causing sustained storm force winds, killing one person.[2]
Severe Tropical Storm Clara
Typhoon Ellen
Typhoon Ellen formed as a disturbance on July 16 in the vicinity of Okinotorishima,[lower-alpha 1] from a trough in the convergence zone trailing to the southeast of Typhoon Billie the day before.[4] Its circulation closed up by 17 July,[4] and at 0900 JST (0000 UTC) on the following day, the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm.[5] Due to its sluggish, erratic movements, Shikoku and Kyushu received heavy rains between July 23 and July 26. This contributed to the above-average monthly precipitation for July 1973 in southern Shikoku and eastern Kyushu, when the rest of Japan was suffering from droughts.[6]
Tropical Storm Fran (Kuring)
Typhoon Georgia
Typhoon Iris (Daling)
Iris struck North Korea and Japan.
Tropical Storm Hope
Tropical Depression 11W
Tropical Storm Joan (Elang)
Severe Tropical Storm Kate (Goring)
Tropical Depression 14W
Typhoon Louise (Huling)
Typhoon Marge (Ibiang)
Hainan, Qionghai Jiaji town recorded a minimum central pressure of 937.8 hPa when Marge made landfall. Marge killed 903 people in Hainan. Marge made its final landfall in Tam Diep Mountains (border of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces) Vietnam in late September 14, 1973; brought heavay rainfall and flooding in North Vietnam.[7][8]
Typhoon Nora (Luming)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression east of the Philippines on October 1. Under weak steering currents, it meandered westward, where favorable conditions allowed for it to strengthen, first to a tropical storm on the 2nd, then to a typhoon on the 3rd. Nora continued to the northwest, and explosively deepened on the 5th and 6th to a 185 mph super typhoon. At the time, it had a minimum central pressure of 875 millibars, the lowest pressure on record at the time and currently tied for 9th. The typhoon weakened as it headed to the northwest, and struck northeastern Luzon on the 7th as a 115 mph typhoon. Nora continued to the northwest, weakening to a minimal typhoon as it hit southeast China on the 10th. The typhoon caused 18 fatalities, with over $2 million in damage.
Typhoon Opal
Typhoon Patsy (Miling)
Typhoon Ruth (Narsing)
27 people were killed when Typhoon Ruth crossed Luzon on October 15 and caused $5 million in damage. Ruth continued to the northwest, and hit Hainan Island and Quang Ninh, Vietnam on the 19th, respectively.
Severe Tropical Storm Sarah
On November 12 this system emerged in the Bay of Bengal and became Tropical Storm Thirteen (13B)[1]
Severe Tropical Storm Thelma
Severe Tropical Storm Vera (Openg)
One of the strongest tropical cyclones to hit Visayas when it entered on November 20, although the system didn't reach typhoon status. Tropical Storm Openg affected around 3.4 million people.[9]
Storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The first storm of 1973 was named Wilda and the final one was named Vera.
|
|
|
|
Philippines
| Atring | Bining | Kuring | Daling | Elang |
| Goring | Huling | Ibiang | Luming | Miling |
| Narsing | Openg | Pining (unused) | Rubing (unused) | Saling (unused) |
| Tasing (unused) | Unding (unused) | Walding (unused) | Yeyeng (unused) | |
| Auxiliary list | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anding (unused) | ||||
| Binang (unused) | Kadiang (unused) | Dinang (unused) | Epang (unused) | Gundang (unused) |
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones in their area of responsibility. PAGASA assigns names to tropical depressions that form within their area of responsibility and any tropical cyclone that might move into their area of responsibility. Should the list of names for a given year prove to be insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first 10 of which are published each year before the season starts. This is the same list used for the 1969 season. PAGASA uses its own naming scheme that starts in the Filipino alphabet, with names of Filipino female names ending with "ng" (A, B, K, D, etc.).
Season effects
This table will list all the storms that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line and north of the equator during 1973. It will include their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, missing persons (in parentheses), and damage totals. Classification and intensity values will be based on estimations conducted by the JMA, however due to lack of information around this time sustained winds were recorded by the JTWC. All damage figures will be in 1973 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm will include when the storm was a precursor wave or an extratropical low.
| Name | Dates | Peak intensity | Areas affected | Damage (USD) |
Deaths | Refs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Wind speed | Pressure | ||||||
| TD | May 12 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1008 hPa (29.77 inHg) | South China | None | None | |
| Wilda (Atring) | June 28 – July 6 | Severe tropical storm | 110 km/h (70 mph) | 980 hPa (28.94 inHg) | Philippines, China | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Anita | July 4 – 10 | Typhoon | 130 km/h (80 mph) | 980 hPa (28.94 inHg) | Vietnam, Thailand | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Billie (Bining) | July 11 – 19 | Typhoon | 240 km/h (150 mph) | 915 hPa (27.02 inHg) | Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, China | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Dot | July 11 – 21 | Typhoon | 155 km/h (100 mph) | 975 hPa (28.79 inHg) | China, Ryukyu Islands, Korean Peninsula | Unknown | 1 | |
| Clara | July 12 – 15 | Severe tropical storm | 100 km/h (65 mph) | 985 hPa (29.09 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Ellen | July 16 – 29 | Typhoon | 195 km/h (120 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Japan | None | None | |
| TD | July 16 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1010 hPa (29.83 inHg) | Mariana Islands | None | None | |
| Fran (Kuring) | July 23 – 30 | Tropical storm | 75 km/h (45 mph) | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Philippines | None | None | |
| Georgia | August 5 – 15 | Typhoon | 130 km/h (80 mph) | 980 hPa (28.94 inHg) | China | Unknown | Unknown | |
| TD | August 5 – 6 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1008 hPa (29.77 inHg) | Philippines | None | None | |
| Iris (Daling) | August 6 – 21 | Typhoon | 155 km/h (100 mph) | 970 hPa (28.64 inHg) | Ryukyu Islands, Korean Peninsula | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Hope | August 8 – 13 | Tropical storm | 85 km/h (50 mph) | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| 11W | August 10 – 18 | Tropical depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1008 hPa (29.77 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| TD | August 16 – 18 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Philippines | None | None | |
| Joan (Elang) | August 18 – 22 | Tropical storm | 85 km/h (50 mph) | 990 hPa (29.23 inHg) | Philippines, Taiwan, China | None | None | |
| TD | August 20 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 996 hPa (29.41 inHg) | Taiwan | None | None | |
| Kate (Goring) | August 20 – 26 | Severe tropical storm | 110 km/h (70 mph) | 975 hPa (28.79 inHg) | Philippines, South China, Vietnam | Unknown | Unknown | |
| TD | August 24 – 28 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1002 hPa (29.59 inHg) | Taiwan, Ryukyu Islands, China | None | None | |
| 14W | August 28 – September 3 | Tropical depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1002 hPa (29.59 inHg) | South China, Vietnam | None | None | |
| Louise (Huling) | August 30 – September 6 | Typhoon | 140 km/h (85 mph) | 975 hPa (28.79 inHg) | Philippines, South China | Unknown | Unknown | |
| TD | September 4 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1018 hPa (30.07 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Marge (Ibiang) | September 10 – 15 | Typhoon | 150 km/h (90 mph) | 965 hPa (28.50 inHg) | Philippines, South China | Unknown | 903 | |
| TD | September 20 – 21 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1008 hPa (29.77 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Nora (Luming) | October 1 – 10 | Typhoon | 295 km/h (185 mph) | 875 hPa (25.84 inHg) | Philippines, South China | $2 million | 40 | |
| Opal | October 3 – 8 | Typhoon | 140 km/h (85 mph) | 970 hPa (28.64 inHg) | Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Patsy (Miling) | October 5 – 15 | Typhoon | 260 km/h (160 mph) | 895 hPa (26.43 inHg) | Philippines, Vietnam | Unknown | Unknown | |
| TD | October 10 – 12 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Ruth (Narsing) | October 11 – 19 | Typhoon | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 960 hPa (28.35 inHg) | Caroline Islands, Philippines, South China | $5 million | 27 | |
| TD | October 13 – 15 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Vietnam | None | None | |
| TD | October 17 – 18 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Mariana Islands | None | None | |
| TD | October 17 – 20 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| TD | October 27 – November 1 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Palau | None | None | |
| TD | October 31 – November 3 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1006 hPa (29.71 inHg) | None | None | None | |
| Sarah | November 9 – 12 | Severe tropical storm | 100 km/h (65 mph) | 985 hPa (29.09 inHg) | Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Thelma | November 13 – 18 | Severe tropical storm | 100 km/h (65 mph) | 990 hPa (29.23 inHg) | Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Vera (Openg) | November 18 – 26 | Severe tropical storm | 95 km/h (60 mph) | 990 hPa (29.23 inHg) | Philippines | Unknown | Unknown | |
| TD | December 25 – 26 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1006 hPa (29.71 inHg) | Malaysia | None | None | |
| TD | December 26 – 27 | Tropical depression | Not specified | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Philippines | None | None | |
| Season aggregates | ||||||||
| 39 systems | May 12 – December 27, 1973 | 295 km/h (185 mph) | 875 hPa (25.84 inHg) | >$7 million | >1,011 | |||
See also
- 1973 Pacific hurricane season
- 1973 Atlantic hurricane season
- 1973 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Australian cyclone seasons: 1972–73, 1973–74
- South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1972–73, 1973–74
- South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1972–73, 1973–74
Footnotes
- Okinotorishima is located at 20.4225°N 136.0900°E, while Ellen formed at coordinates 20.00°N 136.05°E.[3]
References
External links
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