Hurricane History Map

1959 Western North Pacific season

33 storms formed in the Western North Pacific basin in 1959, from 26 February 1959 to 3 January 1960.

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Years1959
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 1959 season in numbers

The record holds 33 storms for the 1959 Western North Pacific season, of which 27 had names.22 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 16 reached typhoon strength (category 1 or more) and 13 were major (category 3 or more). 11 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 33storms
  • 22tropical storm strength or more
  • 16typhoon strength or more
  • 13major (category 3 to 5)
  • 392accumulated 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 1959

  • Joan (1959)23 August 1959 to 2 September 1959, peak Category 5 (170 kt), 885 hPa
  • Sarah (1959)10 September 1959 to 23 September 1959, peak Category 5 (165 kt), 905 hPa
  • Vera (1959)20 September 1959 to 29 September 1959, peak Category 5 (165 kt), 895 hPa
  • Dinah (1959)12 October 1959 to 25 October 1959, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 915 hPa
  • Gilda (1959)11 December 1959 to 22 December 1959, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 925 hPa

All 33 storms of 1959

StormPeak
Ruby Tropical storm
Sally Tropical storm
Tilda Category 4
Violet Unknown intensity
Wilda Unknown intensity
Billie Category 2
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Ellen Category 3
Georgia Category 3
Hope Unknown intensity
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Iris Category 2
Joan Category 5
Kate Tropical storm
Louise Category 4
Marge Unknown intensity
Nora Tropical storm
Opal:ruth Tropical storm
Sarah Category 5
Thelma Unknown intensity
Vera Category 5
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Amy Category 1
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Babs Tropical storm
Charlotte Category 5
Dinah Category 5
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Emma Category 3
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Freda Category 4
Gilda Category 5
Harriet Category 4

← 1958 · 1960 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1959

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