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1955 Pacific typhoon season

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1955 Pacific typhoon season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedJanuary 1, 1955
Last system dissipatedDecember 18, 1955
Strongest storm
NameClara
 • Maximum winds250 km/h (155 mph)
(1-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure919 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions39
Total storms31
Typhoons20
Super typhoons4 (unofficial)
Total fatalitiesUnknown
Total damageUnknown
Related articles
Pacific typhoon seasons
1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957

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

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Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale

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

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJanuary 1 – January 6
Peak intensity140 km/h (85 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

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

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationFebruary 23 – February 28
Peak intensity85 km/h (50 mph) (10-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Wilda

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationMarch 21 – March 29
Peak intensity165 km/h (105 mph) (1-min);
985 hPa (mbar)

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

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationApril 17 – April 28
Peak intensity185 km/h (115 mph) (1-min);
977 hPa (mbar)

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

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJune 2 – June 7
Peak intensity185 km/h (115 mph) (1-min);
988 hPa (mbar)

Billie hit China as a weak typhoon.

JMA Tropical Storm Six

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Tropical storm (JMA)
Category 1-equivalent typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJune 23 – June 28
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min);
982 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Clara

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 5 – July 17
Peak intensity250 km/h (155 mph) (1-min);
919 hPa (mbar)

Tropical Storm Dot

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Tropical storm (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 12 – July 17
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Ellen

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 15 – July 27
Peak intensity130 km/h (80 mph) (1-min);
960 hPa (mbar)

Tropical Storm 09W

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Tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 17 – July 23
Peak intensity95 km/h (60 mph) (1-min);
990 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Fran

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 18 – July 21
Peak intensity215 km/h (130 mph) (1-min);
930 hPa (mbar)

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

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationJuly 22 – July 24
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (10-min);
990 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Georgia

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationJuly 23 – July 29
Peak intensity215 km/h (130 mph) (1-min);
945 hPa (mbar)

JMA Tropical Storm Fifteen

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationAugust 2 – August 7
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min);
995 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Hope

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 2 – August 17
Peak intensity140 km/h (85 mph) (1-min);
975 hPa (mbar)

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

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationAugust 5 – August 14
Peak intensity105 km/h (65 mph) (10-min);
985 hPa (mbar)

JMA Tropical Storm Seventeen

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationAugust 10 – August 12
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min);
1000 hPa (mbar)

Seventeen was a short tropical storm that never affected land.

JMA Tropical Storm Eighteen

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Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 10 – August 12
Peak intensity65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min);
999 hPa (mbar)

This storm never affected land, it remained in open waters.

Typhoon Iris

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 19 – August 25
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
965 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Joan

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationAugust 29 – September 4
Peak intensity150 km/h (90 mph) (1-min);
968 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Kate

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 16 – September 26
Peak intensity250 km/h (155 mph) (1-min);
930 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Louise

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 5 super typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 20 – September 30
Peak intensity280 km/h (175 mph) (1-min);
930 hPa (mbar)

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, 54 people were killed and 14 went missing.

Typhoon Marge

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationSeptember 27 – October 5
Peak intensity185 km/h (115 mph) (1-min);
964 hPa (mbar)

JMA Tropical Storm Twenty-four

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Tropical storm (JMA)
 
DurationOctober 1 – October 7
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min);
1003 hPa (mbar)

Tropical Storm 17W

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Tropical depression (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 3 – October 8
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
998 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Nora

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 4 – October 13
Peak intensity175 km/h (110 mph) (1-min);
955 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Opal

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 15 – October 23
Peak intensity155 km/h (100 mph) (1-min);
982 hPa (mbar)

Tropical Storm 20W

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Tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
 
DurationOctober 22 – October 27
Peak intensity75 km/h (45 mph) (1-min);
1004 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Patsy

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationNovember 25 – December 4
Peak intensity250 km/h (155 mph) (1-min);
940 hPa (mbar)

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.

Typhoon Ruth

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Typhoon (JMA)
Category 5 super typhoon (SSHWS)
 
DurationDecember 12 – December 18
Peak intensity280 km/h (175 mph) (1-min);
925 hPa (mbar)

Storm names

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The following names listed here are names of the 1955 Pacific Typhoon Season.

  • Violet
  • Wilda
  • Anita
  • Billie
  • Clara
  • Dot
  • Ellen
  • Fran
  • Georgia
  • Hope
  • Iris
  • Joan
  • Opal
  • Patsy
  • Ruth

See also

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