1977 Pacific typhoon season

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1977 Pacific typhoon season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formed	January 10, 1977
Last system dissipated	January 3, 1978
Strongest storm
Name	Babe
• Maximum winds	205 km/h (125 mph) (10-minute sustained)
• Lowest pressure	905 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions	54
Total storms	19
Typhoons	11
Super typhoons	3 (unofficial)
Total fatalities	>235
Total damage	> $23 million (1977 USD)
Related articles
1977 Atlantic hurricane season 1977 Pacific hurricane season 1977 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Pacific typhoon seasons 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

The 1977 Pacific typhoon season was one of the least active Pacific typhoon seasons on record, with only 19 tropical storms forming. It was also the second of three known typhoon seasons during the satellite era (since 1960) to not produce a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, sandwiched between the 1974 and 2017 seasons. The season's first storm, Severe Tropical Storm Patsy, formed on March 23 and the last, Typhoon Mary, dissipated on January 2, 1978. With Mary spanning two calendar years, it became the fourth typhoon to do so since 1945. Since then, two other typhoons have achieved this feat.

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 1977 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.

A total of 54 tropical depressions were recognized by the various warning agencies this year in the Western Pacific, of which 20 became tropical storms. Eleven storms reached typhoon intensity, of which three reached super typhoon strength.^[1]

Tropical depression (PAGASA)
Duration	January 10 – January 13
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (10-min);

Named by PAGASA.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	March 23 – March 31
Peak intensity	95 km/h (60 mph) (10-min); 990 hPa (mbar)

Patsy stayed clear from land.

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
Duration	May 26 – May 27
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (1-min); 1000 hPa (mbar)

2W was short-lived.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	June 14 – June 17
Peak intensity	110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min); 975 hPa (mbar)

Ruth hit China.

Tropical depression (SSHWS)
Duration	July 5 – July 6
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (1-min); 995 hPa (mbar)

4W hit South China.

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	July 16 – July 21
Peak intensity	130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 970 hPa (mbar)

Sarah struck China.

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	July 21 – July 26
Peak intensity	130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 950 hPa (mbar)

A tropical disturbance east of the Philippines organized into a tropical depression on July 21. It moved to the northwest, strengthening into a tropical storm later that day and into a typhoon on the 22nd. After passing northern Luzon and dropping heavy rains, Thelma turned to the north, where it reached a peak intensity of 95 mph winds. The typhoon hit southern Taiwan on the 25th, crossed the island, and dissipated over southeastern China on the 26th. Though not a particularly strong storm, Thelma brought strong wind gusts and heavy rain, claiming more than 30 lives and bringing damage and destruction not seen to the island for over 80 years.

Violent typhoon (JMA)
Category 3 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	July 28 – August 1
Peak intensity	205 km/h (125 mph) (10-min); 925 hPa (mbar)

Just 6 days after Thelma hit Taiwan, another typhoon was brewing to its east. Typhoon Vera, which developed on July 28, hit eastern Taiwan on the 31st as a 125 mph typhoon. It continued westward, and dissipated over southeastern China. The storm caused 25 additional fatalities to the island, with vast amounts of crop and property damage occurring.

Tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	July 31 – August 4
Peak intensity	75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min); 985 hPa (mbar)

Wanda stayed at sea.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	August 20 – August 23
Peak intensity	110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min); 985 hPa (mbar)

Amy hit Taiwan.

Tropical storm (JMA)
Duration	August 21 – August 22
Peak intensity	75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min); 988 hPa (mbar)

This storm was short-lived.

Violent typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	September 2 – September 12
Peak intensity	205 km/h (125 mph) (10-min); 905 hPa (mbar)

Developing as a tropical depression on September 2, Babe initially tracked west-northwestward as it intensified. On September 5, an abrupt shift in steering currents caused the system to turn north-northwestward. Over the following two days, Babe quickly intensified, ultimately attaining its peak intensity early on September 8 with winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) and a barometric pressure of 905 mbar (hPa; 26.72 inHg). Not long after reaching this strength, another shift in the steering patterns caused the typhoon to execute a prolonged counter-clockwise arc, causing it to track through the Ryukyu Islands, as it interacted with a low pressure originating from the Korean Peninsula. During this time, the system gradually weakened and eventually it made landfall near Shanghai, China on September 11 as a minimal typhoon before dissipating inland the following day.^[2][3]

Passing through the Ryukyu Islands as a powerful typhoon, Babe caused considerable damage in the region. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 7,000 more were damaged or flooded. One person was killed on Amami Ōshima and 77 others were injured throughout the country.^[4] Total losses reached ¥6.1 billion (US$23 million).^[5] Offshore, over 100 vessels were affected by the storm, including a Panamanian freighter where 13 people died.^[2] In China, more than 24,000 homes were destroyed and nine people were killed.^[6]

Tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	September 3 – September 5
Peak intensity	65 km/h (40 mph) (10-min); 990 hPa (mbar)

Carla hit Vietnam.

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	September 14 – September 23
Peak intensity	130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min); 965 hPa (mbar)

The monsoon trough spawned a tropical storm on September 14 northeast of the northern Philippines. The previous typhoon brought the trough more northward, hence the unusually high latitude for a monsoon storm. Strong high pressure to Dinah's northwest forced the storm to the southwest, where it crossed northern Luzon on the 15th and 16th. Weak steering currents in the South China Sea allowed Dinah to drift, first then to the northeast then back to the west-southwest. Generally favorable conditions allowed Dinah to reach typhoon strength on the 19th, but a developing tropical storm to its northeast caused it to weaken. The building of the subtropical ridge forced Dinah to the southwest, where it hit southern Vietnam on the 23rd as a tropical depression. The remnants turned northward, crossed the Gulf of Tonkin, and dissipated over China on the 27th.

Dinah brought heavy rain and flooding to Luzon that killed 54 people and left 11 others missing.^[7]

Tropical depression (JMA)
Tropical depression (SSHWS)
Duration	September 11 – September 13
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (10-min);

The depression lasted two days.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	September 15 – September 20
Peak intensity	110 km/h (70 mph) (10-min); 965 hPa (mbar)

Emma recurved from Japan.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	September 23 – September 25
Peak intensity	100 km/h (65 mph) (10-min); 980 hPa (mbar)

Tropical Storm Freda struck Hong Kong killing one person.^[8]

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	October 3 – October 10
Peak intensity	120 km/h (75 mph) (10-min); 965 hPa (mbar)

Gilda recurved from Japan.

Tropical storm (JMA)
Duration	October 11 – October 14
Peak intensity	75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min); 990 hPa (mbar)

Existed way off Japan.

Tropical depression (JMA)
Tropical depression (SSHWS)
Duration	October 14 – October 16
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (10-min);

The depression was short-lived.

Severe tropical storm (JMA)
Tropical storm (SSHWS)
Duration	October 16 – October 20
Peak intensity	100 km/h (65 mph) (10-min); 980 hPa (mbar)

Harriet stayed at sea. Of the coast of Japan did not affect anyone.

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	October 21 – October 27
Peak intensity	150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min); 940 hPa (mbar)

Ivy also stayed at sea.

Typhoon (JMA)
Category 1 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	October 28 – November 3
Peak intensity	120 km/h (75 mph) (10-min); 970 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Jean was a tropical depression. It quickly became a tropical storm and on October 31, became a typhoon.

Tropical depression (JMA)
Tropical depression (SSHWS)
Duration	November 3 – November 5
Peak intensity	55 km/h (35 mph) (10-min);

This depression was short-lived.

Violent typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	November 6 – November 17
Peak intensity	205 km/h (125 mph) (10-min); 920 hPa (mbar)

Typhoon Kim was a 150 mph super typhoon that hit the northern Philippines on November 13. The typhoon's heavy rains caused flash flooding that left 55 people dead with widespread damage. A further 47 people died when the upper floors of a hotel caught fire during the storm.

Violent typhoon (JMA)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	November 28 – December 7
Peak intensity	205 km/h (125 mph) (10-min); 920 hPa (mbar)

Lucy recurved from The Philippines.

Very strong typhoon (JMA)
Category 2 typhoon (SSHWS)
Duration	December 20, 1977 – January 3, 1978
Peak intensity	155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min); 945 hPa (mbar)

Mary moved through the Marshall Islands.

Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The first storm of 1977 was named Patsy and the final one was named Mary.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones in their area of responsibility. PAGASA assigns names to tropical depressions that form within their area of responsibility and any tropical cyclone that might move into their area of responsibility. Should the list of names for a given year prove to be insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first 6 of which are published each year before the season starts. Names not retired from this list will be used again in the 1981 season. This is the same list used for the 1973 season. PAGASA uses its own naming scheme that starts in the Filipino alphabet, with names of Filipino female names ending with "ng" (A, B, K, D, etc.). Names that were not assigned/going to use are marked in gray.

Due to its impacts in the Philippines, PAGASA later retired the name Unding and was replaced by Unsing for the 1981 season. However, the name Unding would later be reused in the 2004 season, only for it to be re-retired by PAGASA due to its effects in Luzon.

This table will list all the storms that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line and north of the equator during 1977. It will include their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, missing persons (in parentheses), and damage totals. Classification and intensity values will be based on estimations conducted by the JMA. All damage figures will be in 1977 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm will include when the storm was a precursor wave or an extratropical low.

• List of Pacific typhoon seasons
• 1977 Pacific hurricane season
• 1977 Atlantic hurricane season
• 1977 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
• South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1976–77, 1977–78
• Australian region cyclone seasons: 1976–77, 1977–78
• South Pacific cyclone seasons: 1976–77, 1977–78

• Japan Meteorological Agency
• Joint Typhoon Warning Center Archived 2010-03-01 at the Wayback Machine.
• China Meteorological Agency
• National Weather Service Guam
• Hong Kong Observatory
• Macau Meteorological Geophysical Services
• Korea Meteorological Agency
• Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
• Taiwan Central Weather Bureau
• Digital Typhoon - Typhoon Images and Information
• Typhoon2000 Philippine typhoon website