Typhoon Phyllis (1975)

Typhoon Phyllis was one of seven tropical cyclones in 1975 to pass within range of the Japan Meteorological Agency's (JMA) radar surveillance. A tropical disturbance developed in the monsoon trough just west of Guam on August 11. The disturbance was classified as a tropical depression the next day. Tracking northward, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Phyllis later on August 12. On the next day, Phyllis, after developing an eye, attained typhoon intensity. The typhoon accelerated north while rapidly intensifying, and on the evening of August 14, Phyllis reached its peak intensity of . Typhoon Phyllis turned northwest, making landfall over Shikoku on August 17, with winds of . Phyllis weakened to a tropical storm later the same day. Its remnants were last observed on August 20.

Phyllis, along with Typhoon Rita, were accountable for the bulk of tropical cyclone casualties in Japan during the 1975 Pacific typhoon season. From Phyllis alone, 60 people perished while 146 were injured on the island of Shikoku. There, at least 489 houses collapsed and 577 others were damaged. Throughout the country, 77 people were killed and 209 others sustained injured. A total of 129 landslides occurred while roads were cut in 106 locations and 23 dikes sustained damaged. A total of 50,222 homes were flooded and an additional 2,419 dwellings were demolished. Twelve ships and of farmland received damaged. Damage was estimated at $37 million (1975 USD). In addition to effects on Japan, the typhoon also killed three people and left seven others missing in Taiwan. The outer fringes of the storm contributed to a heat wave that resulted in 24 fatalities.

Meteorological history

During the first couple weeks of August 1975, the Western Pacific monsoonal trough extended from central China to Guam. Numerous surface circulations appeared in this trough as early as the August 8, and three days later, a tropical disturbance was spotted by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) some west-southwest of Guam. The first warning was issued on the morning of the August 12, with the JTWC designating it Tropical Depression 07. Due to the cyclone's proximity to the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local name ''Etang''. Despite a hurricane hunter aircraft finding multiple surface centers and an ill-defined upper-level center, the depression quickly strengthened into a tropical storm. Initially, the storm's low- and upper-level circulation were displaced by , but on the morning of August 13, the centers had become vertically stacked. At 08:33 UTC, a hurricane hunter flight reported a closed eyewall in diameter. Based on aircraft reports of winds to the west-southwest of the center, Phyllis was believed to have obtained typhoon intensity midday on August 13.

By August 13, a mid-level ridge over China began to weaken while a ridge
east of Japan intensified. As a result, Phyllis's forward speed accelerated as it tracked towards the north. In the 24 hours after being designated a typhoon, Phyllis entered a period of rapid deepening, attaining winds of winds at midday on August 14, which would make it an upper-end Category 3 hurricane on the United States-based Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). At 15:00 UTC, aircraft data measured a minimum barometric pressure of . Based on this, the JTWC estimated that the typhoon reached its maximum intensity of , equal to Category 4 status on the SSHWS. The next day, the storm's forward motion briefly slowed as the ridge extended westward across Japan. After turning to the northwest, Phyllis once again accelerated, and on August 16, passed roughly southeast of Shikoku. The following morning, the typhoon moved onshore near the southwestern edge of Shikoku, with winds of . The system weakened to a tropical storm at 06:00 UTC on August 17 over land, and a tropical depression 24 hours later. Late on August 18, Phyllis ceased to exist as a tropical cyclone, although the JMA estimated that Phyllis transitioned into an extratropical cyclone around this time. The agency continued to track the system until August 20 when it was meandering over the Sea of Japan.

Impact

A minimum pressure of was recorded in Shimizu. Nearby, in Tosashimizu, winds of were observed. Across Shikoku, the storm dropped of rainfall in some locations, with over of rainfall falling in an hour in parts of Kōchi Prefecture. In conjunction with Typhoon Rita, the two storms contributed to the majority of tropical cyclone casualties in Japan during the 1975 Pacific typhoon season. Overall, 77 people were killed and 209 others sustained injures. Train and ferry service were suspended between Shikoku and Hiroshima by up to three hours while All Nippon Airways and Toa Airways

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