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.
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
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
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
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
Tropical Storm Doris existed from June 18 to 21 and did not make landfall.
Tropical Storm Nancy
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
Tropical Storm Peggy
Tropical Storm Edna
Typhoon Eva
Typhoon Queenie
Tropical Storm Frances
Tropical Storm Grace
Typhoon Ruth
Typhoon Susan
Typhoon Tess
Typhoon Helen
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
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
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
Tropical Storm Wanda
Typhoon Jean
Tropical Storm Kate
Typhoon Louise
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.[9]
Tropical Storm Marge
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 Aurora. The damage is unknown.
Tropical Storm Yvonne
Typhoon Nora
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
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See also
- 1945 Atlantic hurricane season
- List of Pacific typhoon seasons
- 1900–1950 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons
- 1940s Australian region cyclone seasons
- 1940s South Pacific cyclone seasons
References
- ^ a b Joint Typhoon Warning Center 50th Anniversary May 1959 – May 2009. April 29, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Anstett, Richard (April 30, 1998). "World War II Era". History of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center up to 1998. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Landsea, Christopher W; Dorst, Neal M (June 1, 2014). "Subject: Tropical Cyclone Names: B1) How are tropical cyclones named?". Tropical Cyclone Frequently Asked Question. United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.
- ^ Cry, George (July 1958). Bristow, Gerald C (ed.). "Naming hurricanes and typhoons". Mariners Weather Log. 2 (4): 109. hdl:2027/uc1.b3876059. ISSN 0025-3367. OCLC 648466886.
- ^ "1945 Severe Tropical Storm ANN (1945110N09160)". IBTrACS - International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. Asheville, North Carolina: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ "70th Anniversary of Typhoon Ursula". September 9, 2015.
- ^ Weather Records of Makurazaki Japan Meteorological Agency
- ^ Makurazaki typhoon Hiroshima disaster prevention Web Archived July 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Hiroshima Prefectural Government
- ^ US Navy Historical Center. Pacific Typhoon at Okinawa, October 1945.
Bibliography
- Anderson, Richard M.; Beyer, Edward F.; Grobmeier, Alvin H.; McCormick, Conrad R.; Silverstone, Paul H. (1990). "Question 21/89". Warship International. XXVII (2): 204–205. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Grobmeier, Alvin H. (1991). "Question 21/89". Warship International. XXVIII (2): 205. ISSN 0043-0374.
External links
- A film clip Cruiser Bow Ripped Off By Typhoon, 1945/07/23 (1945) is available for viewing at the Internet Archive
- Information on Typhoon of June 1945
- Information on Typhoon of October 1945 (archive link)
- Unisys Tropical Cyclone Data for 1945