1955 Pacific typhoon season

none WPac 1955 1955 Pacific typhoon season summary map.png January 1, 1955 December 18, 1955 Ruth 888 180 39 31 20 4 (unofficial) 1 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957 1955 Atlantic hurricane season 1955 Pacific hurricane season 1950s North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons The 1955 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1955, 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 season produced a large number of tropical storms but most of them were weak, and sources from American typhoon warning agencies often grossly overestimated the maximum wind speed of many systems which could not properly match with their respective central pressure observations. 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 1955 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west Pacific basin were assigned a name by the Fleet Weather Center on Guam. Systems The rest of the storms, such as unnumbered and unnamed tropical depressions and storms, are only classified by the CMA while the JMA is sometimes rare before the 1960s - 1970s. Typhoon Violet WPac Violet 1955 track.png January 1 January 6 typhoon 75 995 Typhoon Violet formed on January 1 and dissipated on January 6. It peaked as a Category 1 typhoon by the JTWC before making landfall in Mindinao in the Philippines. JMA Tropical Storm Two WPac JMA TS 2 1955 track.png February 23 February 28 45 995 The storm formed on February 23. It slowly moved northwest and intensified into a tropical storm. It soon dissipated on February 28. Typhoon Wilda WPac Wilda 1955 track.png March 21 March 29 typhoon 90 985 Forming in an area full of islands, Wilda moved up into the open ocean where it reached typhoon strength. Shortly after, Wilda peaked in intensity as a lower-end category 2 cyclone. Wilda soon made a turn and began to weaken. Soon enough, Wilda had weakened under typhoon strength and dissipated on March 29. Typhoon Anita WPac Anita 1955 track.png April 17 April 28 typhoon 100 977 Anita formed as a tropical depression on April 17. Anita entered a phase of warm waters, and it rapidly intensified to a category 1 typhoon and even a category 2 typhoon later. Anita encountered on a phase of cool waters, and as a result, it gradually weakened. Anita but re-intensified into a category 1 typhoon on April 20. However, it weakened again on April 22 but again re-intensified to a category 1 and even a category 2 typhoon later. Anita reached its peak intensity as a category 3 typhoon. Anita encountered a strong wind shear and because of this, Anita rapidly weakened to a tropical storm. Anita weakened to a tropical depression on April 25. Later, Anita loses its identity and dissipated. Typhoon Billie WPac Billie 1955 track.png June 2 June 7 typhoon 100 988Billie hit China as a weak typhoon. JMA Tropical Storm Six WPac JMA TY 6 1955 track.png June 23 June 28 nwpstorm 58 982The storm was only tracked by JMA and CMA. Super Typhoon Clara WPac Clara 1955 track.png July 5 July 17 typhoon 135 919 a tropical disturbance formed near Guam and turn tropical storm Clara. It slowly intensify to a category 4 and it made landfall on the Japanese islands as a category 4. It continue going to northeast China and dissipated in mainland China. Typhoon Dot WPac Dot 1955 track.png July 12 July 17 nwpstorm 70 995Dot hit Japan as a tropical storm. Typhoon Ellen WPac Ellen 1955 track.png July 15 July 27 typhoon 70 960Ellen was a Category 1 typhoon that did not make landfall. Tropical Storm 09W WPac 09W 1955 track.png July 17 July 23 nwpstorm 50 990 09W didn't made landfall but still affect in Japan. Typhoon Fran WPac Fran 1955 track.png July 18 July 21 typhoon 115 930 On July 18, a tropical depression formed southeast of Japan. It entered a phase of favorable environments and was soon upgraded into a tropical storm and named Fran. Fran then moved into a favorable environment and Fran was upgraded into a category 1 typhoon. Intensification occurred and Fran intensified from a category 1 to 4 typhoon and reached its peak intensity. After peaking in intensity, unfavorable environments made Fran to start a weakening trend. On July 20, Fran weakened to a category 2 typhoon and later weakened to a category 1 typhoon and even as a strong tropical storm. On July 21 of noon, Fran weakened to a tropical depression, and soon encountered with strong wind shear and dissipated. Fran became extratropical on July 21, before moving further to the east and dissipated on July 23. JMA Tropical Storm Twelve WPac JMA TS 12 1955 track.png July 22 July 24 35 990The storm formed east of Shanghai on July 22. Over the next few days, the storm traveled east and made landfall over Kyushu on July 23 as a tropical depression with a pressure of 996 hPa according to JMA. The storm later dissipated on the next day.IBTrACS - International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship https://ncics.org/ibtracs/index.php?name=v04r01-1955203N31123 2025-07-17 ncics.org Typhoon Georgia WPac Georgia 1955 track.png July 23 July 29 typhoon 115 945 Georgia formed on July 23. It moved northwestward over the following days, intensified into a Category 4 typhoon. However, the storm soon weakened and did not make landfall. JMA Tropical Storm Fifteen WPac JMA TS 15 1955 track.png August 2 August 7 40 995 The storm was short-lived and did not make landfall. Typhoon Hope WPac Hope 1955 track.png August 2 August 17 typhoon 75 975 A tropical depression formed east of Philippines on August 2. It intensified to a tropical storm in the next day and named Hope. Hope intensified into a category 1 hurricane while at the south of Japan. It weakened to a tropical storm and the storm turned to the north and intensified into a category 1 again. It was downgraded to a tropical storm and turned northeast before it slowed down. Hope became extratropical on August 17. Shortly after, the remnants hit the south of Kamchatka Peninsula and dissipated. JMA Tropical Storm Sixteen WPac JMA TS 16 1955 track.png August 5 August 14 nwpstorm 58 985 The storm formed on August 5 west of the Philippines. It moved northeastward and intensified into a tropical storm. It dissipated on August 14 without making landfall. JMA Tropical Storm Seventeen WPac JMA TS 17 1955 track.png August 10 August 12 40 1000 Seventeen was a short tropical storm that never affected land. JMA Tropical Storm Eighteen WPac JMA TS 18 1955 track.png August 10 August 12 35 999This storm never affected land, it remained in open waters. Typhoon Iris WPac Iris 1955 track.png August 19 August 25 typhoon 80 965Iris formed east of the Philippines on August 19. The storm traveled northwest, and intensified into a Category 1 typhoon. Typhoon Joan WPac Joan 1955 track.png August 29 September 4 typhoon 80 968 Joan was a Category 1 typhoon that did not affect land. Super Typhoon Kate WPac Kate 1955 track.png September 16 September 26 typhoon 135 930 Kate impacted the Philippines and China as a category 4 super typhoon. Typhoon Kate is believed to have made landfall in the area from Quảng Ninh to Hải Phòng. According to the book Lịch sử đê điều Việt Nam (History of Vietnam’s Dike System) by Trần Lệ Thu (2021), a total of 31 km of sea dikes were eroded or breached; 24,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops were completely destroyed; 7,535 houses were swept away; and many people died due to storm-surge flooding, with 634 people reported to have drowned during the typhoon.LỊCH SỬ ĐÊ ĐIỀU VIỆT NAM Trần Lệ Thu Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội 2021 978-604-308-662-1 vi 226 History of Vietnam’s Dike System https://phongchongthientai.mard.gov.vn/FileUpload/2022-04/9xJcY7D4T0aXzGIILich%20su%20de%20dieu%20Viet%20Nam-Final-1.pdf According to the newspaper Công an nhân dân (Public Security News), in Hải Phòng alone, there were 669 deaths and 1,200 injuries.https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/De-Hai-Phong-lung-lay-truoc-mua-mua-bao-i74844/ Đê Hải Phòng “lung lay” trước mùa mưa bão Q.Phòng March 27, 2009 February 2, 2026 Công an nhân dân (Public Security News) V.Thịnh Super Typhoon Louise WPac Louise 1955 path.png September 20 September 30 typhoon 150 930 Typhoon Louise at Kokura.JPG Louise formed on September 20 as a weak tropical depression. It intensified into a tropical storm and even a typhoon later. Wind shear quickly decreased and sea surface temperatures began to rise and Louise rapidly intensified into a category 5 super typhoon. However, the process of eyewall replacement cycle caused Louise to weaken. Louise weakened to a category 2 typhoon and it started to affect the Kyūshū island of Japan and even weakened to a category 1 typhoon and affected Japan. Louise dissipated on September 30. On Kyūshū island, 31 people were killed, 41 went missing, 241 injured and 197,429 persons affected either through loss of homes or flooding. Total property damage was estimated as approaching $30,000,000. A disastrous by-product of the storm was the fire that swept through the business district of the Honshu seaport city of Niigata on the morning of October 2. More than 1,100 buildings were burned when strong winds whipped what would have been a minor fire across the city. There was no loss of life, however. United States Air Force personnel from their base outside the city joined in aiding victims of the fire.1955-10-02 TYPHOON LOUISE DIES IN NORTHERN JAPAN https://www.nytimes.com/1955/10/02/archives/typhoon-louise-dies-in-northern-japan.html 2025-07-15 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Typhoon Marge WPac Marge 1955 track.png September 27 October 5 typhoon 100 964Marge hit Japan as a tropical storm. JMA Tropical Storm Twenty-four WPac JMA TS 24 1955 track.png October 1 October 7 40 1003 The storm was weak and did not affect land. Tropical Storm 17W WPac 17W 1955 track.png October 3 October 8 nwpdepression 40 998 17W formed in the South China Sea and hit Vietnam. Typhoon Nora WPac Nora 1955 track.png October 4 October 13 typhoon 95 955 Nora was a Category 2 typhoon. It passed Japan in a very close distance but did not make landfall. Typhoon Opal WPac Opal 1955 track.png October 15 October 23 typhoon 85 982 Opal hit Japan as a tropical storm. Tropical Storm 20W WPac 20W 1955 track.png October 22 October 27 nwpstorm 40 1004 20W was a weak tropical storm that stayed out at sea. Super Typhoon Patsy WPac Patsy 1955 track.png November 25 December 4 typhoon 135 940 Patsy started on its life as a tropical depression on November 25. It hit Philippines as a tropical storm. It moved out of area before intensifying into Typhoon Patsy. Patsy reached its peak intensity before undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle and started to weaken. Super Typhoon Ruth WPac Ruth 1955 track.png December 12 December 18 typhoon 180 888 Typhoon Ruth was one of the strongest storms on record reaching 180 kts (205 mph) sustained winds measured by a reconnaissance aircraft.Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html?western-pacific 2025-07-15 www.metoc.navy.mil 2019-10-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20191002131144/https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/jtwc.html?western-pacific dead However, it was later determined that measurements and estimates from the 1940s to 1960s were erroneous. Thus, Ruth's measurement may likely be lower than the official best-track values. Storm names The names came from a series of four rotating lists. Names were used one after the other without regard to year, and when the bottom of one list was reached, the next named storm received the name at the top of the next list. The names Violet, Wilda, Dot, and Patsy were used for the first time this season. Violet Wilda Anita Billie Clara Dot Ellen Fran Georgia Hope Iris Joan Kate Louise Marge Nora Opal Patsy Ruth See also Tropical cyclones 1955 Pacific hurricane season 1955 Atlantic hurricane season 1955 North Indian Ocean cyclone season Australian region cyclone seasons: 1954–55 1955–56 South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1954–55 1955–56 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1954–55 1955–56 References 1950 Pacific typhoon 1955