Hurricane History Map

1978 South Pacific and Australian region season

13 storms formed in the South Pacific and Australian region basin in 1978, from 5 November 1977 to 22 April 1978.

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Years1978
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

The 1978 season in numbers

The record holds 13 storms for the 1978 South Pacific and Australian region season, of which 11 had names.11 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 5 reached cyclone strength (category 1 or more) and 2 were major (category 3 or more). 2 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 13storms
  • 11tropical storm strength or more
  • 5cyclone strength or more
  • 2major (category 3 to 5)
  • 73accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1978

  • Bob (1978)31 December 1977 to 12 January 1978, peak Category 3 (100 kt)
  • Bob (1978)31 January 1978 to 12 February 1978, peak Category 3 (97 kt), 945 hPa
  • Hal (1978)4 April 1978 to 22 April 1978, peak Category 1 (80 kt), 965 hPa
  • Charles (1978)13 February 1978 to 1 March 1978, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 945 hPa
  • Steve (1978)24 November 1977 to 4 December 1977, peak Category 1 (65 kt), 965 hPa

All 13 storms of 1978

StormPeak
Tom Tropical storm
Steve Category 1
Tessa Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Anne Tropical storm
Bob Category 3
Bob Category 3
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Charles Category 1
Ernie Tropical storm
Diana Tropical storm
Gwen Tropical storm
Hal Category 1

← 1977 · 1979 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1978

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