1960 Pacific typhoon season
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The 1960 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1960, 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 1960 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 had the "W" suffix added to their number.
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[edit] Storms
[edit] Typhoon Karen
An area of disturbed weather in the Philippine Sea moved westward, and organized into a tropical depression on April 22. It moved northwestward through the Philippines, strengthening quickly to a typhoon on the 24th due to its small size. Karen turned to the northeast, and in spite of favorable conditions, rapidly weakened until dissipation on the 26th. Karen left 56 dead in the Philippines, left 7,000 homeless, and caused $2 million (1960 USD) in crop and property damage.
[edit] Tropical Storm Lucille
On May 25, a tropical depression formed to the east of the Philippines, developing simultaneously with another low pressure system to the west. The depression moved to the northwest over the Philippines, and as a northeast turn occurred the 2 merged. The new system strengthened into Tropical Storm Lucille on the 30th, and became extratropical on June 1 as it raced northeastward. The precursor disturbance to Lucille caused flash flooding in Manila that killed nearly 300 people.
[edit] Typhoon Mary
A trough of low pressure spawned a tropical depression in the South China Sea on June 3 and moved slowly westward. Favorable conditions allowed it to quickly strengthen into Tropical Storm Mary, and after turning northward it attained typhoon status on the 7th. Mary continued to intensify to a 90 mph typhoon just before making landfall 20 miles west of Hong Kong on the 8th. After weakening while moving northeastward over China, the storm restrengthened over the Western Pacific to a typhoon on the 10th. It passed near Okinawa, weakened, and accelerated to the east until it became extratropical on the 13th.
Also known as Bloody Mary, the typhoon was the worst to hit Hong Kong in 23 years. Its 14.12 inches of rain, mudslides and strong winds caused extreme damage across Hong Kong and southern China, leaving over 100 dead and over 18,000 homeless. The only positive aspect of the storm was its rainfall, which helped end a severe drought to the colony.
In addition to its impact in Hong Kong, Mary brought heavy rains and flooding in Taiwan, especially in the capital city of Taipei. Moderate crop damage was seen to the rice crop. Four fishermen drowned off the southern coast of the island, but there were no fatalities on the island. Despite its effects, the name Mary was not retired.
[edit] Typhoon Olive
On June 23, a tropical depression developed to the east of the Philippines. It entered nearly ideal conditions as it moved to the west-northwest, and, just 42 hours after forming, reached peak intensity of 145 mph winds. Due to lack of inflow from the archipelago to its west, Olive weakened to a 125 mph typhoon at the time of its eastern Philippine landfall. It rapidly weakened while crossing to a tropical storm, but restrengthened to a typhoon in the South China Sea. It turned to the west, and struck southern China on the 29th as an 80 mph typhoon. Olive rapidly weakened over land and the northern Gulf of Tonkin, and dissipated on the 30th.
A storm surge of 6-8 feet flooded much of Manila, causing extensive property and transportation damage. Heavy rainfall on southeast Luzon resulted on 80% crop losses, while over 104 people were killed elsewhere in the country. In addition, nearly 60,000 people were left homeless in the period after the storm's passage.
China and Hong Kong received heavy rainfall from Olive, causing moderate crop damage, though there were no reported casualties there.
[edit] Super Typhoon Shirley
On July 29, a tropical depression formed to the east of northern Luzon. Moving to the northwest, it encountered favorable conditions for development, and rapidly intensified to a 155 mph Super Typhoon just 48 hours after forming, with an eyewall only 7 miles wide. Shirley continued to the northwest, and struck northeastern Taiwan as a slightly weaker 140 mph typhoon on the 31st. The mountainous terrain ripped apart the typhoon's circulation, and after crossing the Formosa Strait it made landfall on southeastern China as a tropical storm. Shirley turned northward while inland, and dissipated on August 2. An unusual feature of the storm was the development of a secondary center while approaching Taiwan.
Shirley's 140 mph winds and torrential rains devastated Taiwan, overflowing many rivers and trapping thousands. Nearly a foot of rain was reported on the island, causing extensive road and property damage. Little crop damage occurred due to Typhoon Mary destroying much of it months before. In all, Typhoon Shirley caused 104 fatalities, destroyed or damaged 9,890 houses, and left 50,194 people homeless.
[edit] Typhoon Trix
Just one week after Shirley hit Taiwan, Typhoon Trix, which weakened from a peak of 145 mph, hit the northeastern part of the island with winds of 100 mph. Trix left four more dead and brought more severe flooding to the typhoon-ravaged country.
[edit] Typhoon Carmen
A sharp trough of low pressure organized into a tropical depression on August 16. It moved northward, quickly strengthening to an 85 mph typhoon. Carmen lost intensity as it continued to the north, and made landfall on South Korea as a 50 mph tropical storm on the 23rd. The storm brought 50 foot waves to the Korean peninsula, flooding coastal cities and sinking ships offshore. In all, Carmen caused 24 casualties and $2 million in damage (1960 USD).
Carmen is known for having the largest eye of any tropical cyclone in recorded history. Radar data from Okinawa, Japan indicated that it was more than 200 miles (320 km) across. [1]
[edit] Typhoon Della
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical storm in the open Western Pacific on August 20. Della moved to the northwest, strengthening to a typhoon on the 22nd before looping to the north-northwest. After peaking at 105 mph, Della weakened and hit southern Japan as a minimal typhoon. It accelerated to the northeast and became extratropical on the 31st. A landslide on Nishinomiya killed 38 road workers, while another 17 people were killed throughout the country from heavy flooding.
[edit] Typhoon Kit
A large circulation over the Western Pacific organized into a tropical depression on October 2. It moved westward, steadily strengthening to a peak of 100 mph. Kit made landfall on the eastern Philippines at that intensity on the 6th, and quickly crossed the archipelago. It turned to the northwest over the South China Sea, and struck eastern Hainan Island on the 11th. Kit turned to the southwest, and after weakening hit northeastern Vietnam as a minimal tropical storm on the 13th. Kit dissipated shortly thereafter.
Many small and large boats sank from Kit's 1000+ mile wide circulation, with 149 fishermen missing. In the Philippines, Kit's extensive rainfall caused severe damage to property and transportation damage. Especially damaged was the rice crop, which was effected during the rice harvesting season. In all, Kit caused 149 casualties (with 149 missing) and $3 million in damage. Extensive crop damage occurred as well in China.
[edit] Typhoon Lola
Typhoon Lola hit the Philippines just weeks after Kit made landfall, resulting in an additional $15 million in damage, much of it to the rice crop. 58 people were killed from the flooding, and heavy damage occurred to highways and communication systems.
[edit] Super Typhoon Ophelia
The most unusual tropical cyclone of the year began its life on November 21 in the open Western Pacific. The depression drifted, first to the west, then to the southeast, then back to the west, varying between a tropical depression and an open trough of low pressure. After a northward turn, it strengthened into a tropical storm on the 27th, and turned back to the southwest. Ophelia turned to a west drift, and under favorable conditions, intensified into a typhoon on the 29th. It continued to strengthen as it crossed over the Caroline Islands, and attained Super Typhoon Status on the 30th. A day later it reached a peak of 155 mph, but a northward turn weakened it to 150 mph. Ophelia remained a Category 4 typhoon until December 4, when it began accelerating to the northeast over unfavorable conditions. After weakening to a tropical storm on the 6th Ophelia became extratropical over the Northern Pacific Ocean. As an extratropical storm it persisted until dissipating south of Alaska on the 8th. Ophelia brought heavy rains to the Caroline Islands, killing 2 and injuring 4. Many of the islands were covered in up to 2 feet of flooding, and they experienced severe damage from Ophelia's strong winds. The name Ophelia was retired after this storm.
[edit] 1960 Storm Names
The names Lucille and Ophelia were retired after this year.
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