Super Typhoon Alice (1958)
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The 1958 Pacific typhoon season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. The season had no official bounds, but tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific Ocean normally develop between May and October. The season was below average in storms, with only twenty-three forming. However, all but two of those storms developed into typhoons, resulting in a well above-average number of typhoons, and a very high
ACE An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...
figure of 445.8 units. In addition, there were also nine tropical storms tracked only by the JMA. The season began very early, with a very rare super typhoon in January, Typhoon Ophelia, and ended in early December with Typhoon Olga. It also featured Typhoon Ida, the strongest storm ever recorded at that time. The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the
International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...
. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see
1958 Pacific hurricane season The 1958 Pacific hurricane season saw thirteen tropical systems. It officially started on May 15, 1958, in the eastern Pacific and lasted until November 30, 1958. Systems Hurricane One On June 14, a tropical storm hit southern Mexico. Trop ...
. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the
Fleet Weather Center The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...
on
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
.


Systems

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Typhoon Ophelia

At noon on December 31, a vortex was noted along the
Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...
about south of
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. On January 7, the relatively small tropical storm struck
Jaluit Atoll Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with a ...
within the southern
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...
, killing 14 people. It rapidly intensified, and reached winds of the next day. Conditions became unfavorable, and steadily weakened to winds. Ponape was struck on January 10, where Ophelia tore off the roof of the
United States Weather Bureau The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
office. On January 11, Truk was struck. The Weather Bureau's inflation shelter was destroyed, with other buildings on site severely damaged. On the 12th, favorable conditions allowed Ophelia to reintensify, reaching a peak of on the 13th. Ophelia severely impacted
Yap Yap (, sometimes written as , or ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federate ...
, removing the Weather Bureau office's sheet metal roof and damaging the inflation building, theodolite, and radio antenna. After maintaining that intensity for 18 hours, it quickly weakened as it drifted northward, and dissipated on the 17th. Typhoon Ophelia caused widespread damage on several islands of the Western Pacific.Bikini Atoll History
/ref> Ophelia also killed nine people when a
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
WB-50 The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is a retired American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, ...
crashed during a recon flight into the storm on January 15.Deadly Hurricane Hunter Flights
/ref>


JMA Tropical Storm Two

Tropical Storm 02 developed on April 29. It struck
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
before dissipating on the following day.


Typhoon Phyllis

On May 29, Super Typhoon Phyllis attained a peak of , the strongest typhoon on record in May at the time. Phyllis remained over open waters, and dissipated on June 2, southeast of Japan.


JMA Tropical Storm Four

Tropical Storm 04 developed in the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
on May 26. It struck the Chinese province of
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
and
Hainan Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
, before dissipating on June 6.


Typhoon Rita

Typhoon Rita existed from June 7 to June 13 in which it didn't bring any significant damage to land.


JMA Tropical Storm Six

Tropical Storm 06 developed on June 8. It crossed the
Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...
of Japan, before dissipating on June 13.


Typhoon Susan

Typhoon Susan existed from June 13 to June 17.


Typhoon Tess

Typhoon Tess developed in the vicinity of the
Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (, abbreviated FSM), or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a region of Oceania. The federation encompasses the majority of the Caroline Islands (excluding Palau) and consists of four Admin ...
on June 28. The storm moved generally west-northwestward and northwestward, reaching the Ryukyu Islands before dissipating on July 6.


Typhoon Viola

Typhoon Viola existed from July 8 to July 14.


Typhoon Winnie

Tropical Storm Winnie formed on July 12 to the east of
Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
. It moved northwestward, rapidly intensifying to a Category 4 typhoon within 12 hours. The typhoon weakened slightly, but rapidly strengthened to a super typhoon just before hitting eastern
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
on the 15th. Winnie rapidly weakened over the mountainous terrain, and after crossing the Formosa Strait Winnie hit southeastern China. It continued to weaken over land, and dissipated on the 17th.1958 Best Track
/ref> Winnie caused 31 casualties and 53 injuries in Taiwan while crossing.


Typhoon Betty

Typhoon Betty existed in the South China Sea from July 13 to July 16.


Typhoon Alice

Tropical Storm Alice developed on July 14 in the open western Pacific Ocean. It moved to the northwest and attained typhoon status on the 16th. Alice rapidly intensified on the 19th to a super typhoon, and after turning to the northeast it weakened. Alice hit southeastern Japan on the 22nd, and became extratropical on the 24th near the
Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...
. Shortly after Typhoon Alice made landfall,
storm surges A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
occurred in
Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...
, causing floods in
Kōtō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English. As of May 1, 2025, the ward has an estimated population of 543,730, and a population density of . The total ...
and Edogawa on
Shitamachi and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as ...
region. In the area of Kameido (now a station), storm surge in Tokyo Bay reached 2.89 meters in height. Storm surges caused flooding of
rivers A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it ru ...
around Tokyo Bay that damaged 21 ships, damaged 27,673 hectare of crops, destroyed 1,089 and inundated 46,243 houses. Alice caused the deaths of 26 people in total, injuring 64 people and 14 people went missing.


JMA Tropical Storm Fourteen

Tropical Storm Fourteen developed in the South China Sea on July 19. It struck
Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
before dissipating on July 25.


Typhoon Doris

Typhoon Doris existed from July 22 to July 29.


JMA Tropical Storm Sixteen

Typhoon 16 developed in the South China Sea on August 5. It struck China before dissipating on August 11.


Typhoon Elsie

Typhoon Elsie existed from August 4 to August 9.


Typhoon Flossie

On August 21, a tropical depression formed in the open ocean and moved northward. It reached tropical storm status later that day, and attained typhoon strength on the 22nd. Flossie peaked at on the 22nd, and weakened to a tropical storm just before hitting the southeastern coast of Japan on the 25th. Flossie turned to the east, and after becoming extratropical on the 26th the storm dissipated on the 27th. The storm caused 15 casualties (with 30 missing) and 39 injuries in Tokyo.


JMA Tropical Storm Eighteen

Tropical Storm 18 existed from August 25 to August 31.


Typhoon Grace

Another typhoon developed in the vicinity of the Federated States of Micronesia on August 29. The system moved northwestward and eventually strengthened into a super typhoon. Grace peaked with a minimum barometric pressure of . It later struck
Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...
before becoming extratropical on September 5.


JMA Tropical Storm Twenty

Tropical Storm 24 existed from September 2 to September 13.


Typhoon Helen

Typhoon Helen, which formed on September 9, rapidly intensified to a super typhoon on the 14th. It moved to the northeast, and steadily weakened until hitting southeastern Japan as a typhoon on the 17th. It paralleled the Japanese coastline, and after turning northward it became extratropical on the 19th in the
Sea of Okhotsk The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...
. Helen's effects caused 24 fatalities (with 44 missing) and 108 injuries.


Typhoon Ida

On September 20, Tropical Storm Ida formed in the central Western Pacific. It moved to the west, rapidly strengthening to a typhoon by the next day. On the 22nd Ida turned to the north and quickly intensified, reaching super typhoon status on the 23rd and peak winds of on the 24th. Such winds are speculative, due to the lack of satellite or quality in measurements, but Ida was likely a formidable typhoon with a record low pressure (at the time) of 877
mbar The bar is a metric unit of pressure defined as 100,000  Pa (100 kPa), though not part of the International System of Units (SI). A pressure of 1 bar is slightly less than the current average atmospheric pressure on Earth at sea ...
.Camille Info
/ref> Ida weakened as it continued to the north-northeast, and made landfall on southeastern
Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...
with winds of on the 26th. It became extratropical the next day, and dissipated on the 28th to the east of the country. Ida caused torrential flooding to southeastern Japan, resulting in over 1,900 mudslides. Damage along the coastline was extensive, including two small villages that were washed away completely. Nearly 500,000 were left homeless,Time.com
/ref> 888 were killed, 496 were injured, and 381 were missing from the storm.Digital Typhoon: Disaster Information
/ref>


Typhoon June

Typhoon June existed from September 20 to September 22. Its track was somewhat similar to Hurricane Patsy in the
1959 Pacific hurricane season The 1959 Pacific hurricane season saw 15 storms develop, 5 of which became hurricanes, and 3 of those became major hurricanes. The season officially started on May 15, 1959 in the Eastern Pacific, and ended on November 30, 1959. The strongest s ...
.


JMA Tropical Storm Twenty-four

Tropical Storm 24 existed from September 24 to September 29.


Typhoon Kathy

Typhoon Kathy developed just east of the Philippines on October 21. It moved across the islands and entered the South China Sea. There, the system strengthened, and subsequently dissipated on October 27.


Typhoon Lorna

Typhoon Lorna existed from October 23 to November 3.


Typhoon Marie

Typhoon Marie existed from October 26 to November 3.


Typhoon Nancy

Typhoon Nancy developed near
Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...
on November 21. The system strengthened into a super typhoon, peaking with a minimum barometric pressure of . Nancy dissipated on November 26.


Tropical Storm Pamela

Tropical Storm Pamela existed from November 30 to December 4.


Typhoon Olga

Typhoon Olga existed from December 2 to December 8.


JMA Tropical Storm Thirty-one

Typhoon 31 existed from December 9 to December 12.


Storm names


See also

*
List of Pacific typhoon seasons The following is a list of Pacific typhoon seasons. The typhoon seasons are limited to the north of the equator between the 100th meridian east and the 180th meridian (aka Prime Antimeridian). Seasons Pre-1940 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s ...
*
1950s South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons The following is a list of South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclones in the 1950s decade, before the 1959–60 season. Storms February 1950 Mozambique Channel cyclone A cyclone was first observed northeast of Madagascar on February 9. The s ...
*
1950s Australian region cyclone seasons The following is a list of all reported tropical cyclones within the Australian region between 90°E and 160°E in the 1950s. 1950–51 *December 10–11, 1950 – A tropical cyclone passed overland to the west of Groote Eylandt, where hu ...
* South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1957–58 1958–59


References


External links




Japan Meteorological Agency

Joint Typhoon Warning Center
.
China Meteorological Agency

National Weather Service Guam



Macau Meteorological Geophysical Services

Korea Meteorological Agency

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration



Digital Typhoon - Typhoon Images and Information

Typhoon2000 Philippine typhoon website
{{DEFAULTSORT:1958 Pacific Typhoon Season 1958 Pacific typhoon season,