Super Typhoon Violet was an unusually intense
super typhoon
Since 1947, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has classified all typhoons in the Tropical cyclone basins#Northwestern Pacific Ocean, Northwestern Pacific Ocean with wind speeds of at least —the equivalent of a strong Category 4 on th ...
that made landfall in Japan in early October 1961. It was the strongest typhoon of the year with wind speeds up to 205 mph, which made Violet the second strongest tropical cyclone in terms of 1 minute sustained winds, just behind
Hurricane Patricia
Hurricane Patricia was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of maximum sustained winds and the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar (hPa; ), beh ...
in 2015.
Meteorological history
Violet was first observed as a small circulation to the southwest of
Marcus Island
sometimes Minami-Tori-shima or Minami-Torishima, also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, located some southeast of Tokyo and east of the closest Japanese island, South Iwo Jima of the ...
. On October 2, the system had organized enough to warrant further investigation. After a few days of observation, a report of tropical storm force winds was relayed back to the JTWC and on October 4, it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Violet. Violet took an unusual track, moving in a southern direction after formation. This was due to its location west of a
high-pressure system
A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...
, which the storm struggled to move around. After completing a curve to the south of the ridge, Violet quickly intensified into a typhoon. The movement of the subtropical ridge to the east resulted in Violet turning abruptly to the northwest. Violet continued to intensify and soon reached its peak intensity, on October 7, with sustained winds of and a minimal surface pressure of ;
however, the wind readings during this era of reconnaissance were erroneously high. Violet moved in a smooth path northward and clipped the
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* Boso the Elder (c. 800–855), a Frank from the Bosonid dynasty
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area of Japan, near Tokyo. After landfall, Violet began to transition into an
extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
and continued to move northward. By October 10, Violet had become fully
extratropical
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...
.
Impact
Violet was an intense storm, yet did not impact any landmass at or near peak intensity. 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 ...
, damages were light, mostly consisting of crop damage. The effects on Japan were generally minimal due in part to early preparation. A 9124-ton freighter, ''The Pioneer Muse'', was left stranded on the
Daitō Islands
The are an archipelago consisting of three isolated coral islands, administered by Japan, in the Philippine Sea southeast of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa. The islands have a total area of and a population of 2,107.
Administratively, the whole gr ...
during the passing of the typhoon on October 9. All men on board were saved and later the
cargo
In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
of military hardware was scavenged.
Another ship, ''The Sheik'', also was stranded a few miles from ''The Pioneer Muse'', it would later break in two due to rough seas. Two fatalities were reported in Japan due to the passage of Violet.
See also
*
Typhoon Ruth (1962)
The 1962 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; there was activity in every month but January, March, and June, but most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November and this conventionally delimits t ...
*
Typhoon Hagibis
Typhoon Hagibis, known in Japan as Typhoon No.19 or , was a large and costly tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction in Japan. The thirty-eighth depression, nineteenth tropical storm, ninth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 201 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Violet (1961)
Typhoons in Japan
1961 in Japan
1961 Pacific typhoon season