1985 Pacific typhoon season
Encyclopedia
The 1985 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1985, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
. 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 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
, now part of Palau
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
named the system Kuring.
, passed just north of Luzon
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
in the Sea of Japan
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
along the monsoon trough
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
on October 2.
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
.
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
later that day.
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
on December 24.
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
.
.
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
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The 1985 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1985, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
. 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 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
, now part of Palau
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
named the system Kuring.
, passed just north of Luzon
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
in the Sea of Japan
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
along the monsoon trough
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
on October 2.
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
.
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
later that day.
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
on December 24.
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
.
.
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
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The 1985 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1985, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
. 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 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
, now part of Palau
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
named the system Kuring.
, passed just north of Luzon
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
in the Sea of Japan
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
along the monsoon trough
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
on October 2.
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
.
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
later that day.
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
on December 24.
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
.
.
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
{| style="width:90%;"
|
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. 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
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
Season summary
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached super typhoon strength. Only four tropical cyclones moved through the Philippines this season, while eight moved into China, three moved into Vietnam, and three moved into Japan. Tropical cyclones brought Hong Kong 40 percent of its annual rainfall. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. However, it weakened slightly before moving into the Philippines at the high end of category 3 status. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.Tropical Storm Elsie
This was the first tropical cyclone to form in the northwest Pacific basin in January in six years. Forming along the near equatorial trough, two circulations formed on either side of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
Tropical Storm Fabian (Atring)
The initial tropical disturbance formed on the west end of the near-equatorial, or monsoonMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
Tropical Depression
A tropical depression formed 740 kilometres (459.8 mi) east of Luzon on April 22. Moving east-northeast for a couple days, the system dissipated on April 24 770 kilometres (478.5 mi) north-northwest of Guam.Typhoon Gay (Bining)
Gay was the third tropical cyclone and first typhoon of the 1985 Pacific typhoon season. After over four months of inactivity, on May 16, a strong atmospheric circulation formed 380 nmi (703.8 km) west of KororKoror
Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island ....
, now part of Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
Tropical Storm Kuring
This system formed within the northern portion of the monsoon trough. Strong northeast winds aloft kept its circulation center on the northeast side of its stronger thunderstorm activity. The system drifted generally northwest, making landfall on Hainan Island before dissipating. While never upgraded by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system Kuring.
Typhoon Hal (Kuring)
Typhoon Hal, which formed on June 19 east of the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, passed just north of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Irma (Daling)
First noted southwest of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
Tropical Storm Elang
A tropical depression formed 1050 kilometres (652.4 mi) east-southeast of Manila on July 4. Moving west-northwest, the system crossed the central Philippines on July 5, moving into the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
Typhoon Jeff (Goring)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression in northwest of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
Typhoon Kit
Typhoon Kit was the first of seven tropical cyclones to form in the West Pacific in August. It formed from a disturbance at the north end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance quickly gained organization and formed into a tropical depression on August 2. The storm moved steadily to the northwest and steadily intensified. The depression became Tropical Storm Kit on August 4. The storm became a typhoon as it made a temporary jog to the north before continuing its northwest motion. The typhoon, small in size, reached its peak intensity of 85 knots (90 mph, 157 km/h) while south of KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
Tropical Storm Lee (Huling)
Lee formed within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
Typhoon Mamie
On August 15 a tropical depression formed from the monsoon trough a short distance of northern TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Nelson (Ibiang)
Typhoon Nelson, which developed on August 16, moved northwest until reaching typhoon intensity, when a blocking ridge turned the system more to the west. The cyclone brushed northern Taiwan on August 23 as a 90 mi/h typhoon. Later that day, it made landfall on eastern China before dissipating on August 24. Nelson caused 55 deaths and heavy damage across eastern China. In addition, the remnants of the storm stalled over the area, killing an additional 147 people.Typhoon Odessa
Typhoon Odessa was a tropical system that was active from August 23 through the 1st of September in the Western Pacific Ocean.Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
Typhoon Pat (Luming)
Typhoon Pat developed from the Monsoon Trough situated to the east of Taiwan on August 27. Pat quickly was upgraded to tropical storm status and was named. Due to a probable Fujiwara Interaction between Pat and Typhoon Odessa, Pat moved toward the northeast. Just before making a turn towards the northwest Pat was upgraded to a typhoon on the 28th. Typhoon Pat began to accelerate in the direction of Japan. Pat made landfall on southern KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
Tropical Storm Ruby
Forming east of Odessa and Pat, the initial disturbance developed near a location with an upper level low interacted with the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
Typhoon Skip
The initial tropical disturbance formed well south of Hawaii along the near-equatorial trough on August 28, moving briskly to the west. The system developed into Tropical Depression Two-C on August 30 and crossed the dateline the next day. It strengthened into a tropical storm and typhoon while moving northwest. It briefly threatened Wake IslandWake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
Typhoon Tess (Miling)
On August 28, a tropical disturbance formed south of Guam. On September 1, the system strengthened into a tropical depression and then tropical storm. Throughout its lifetime, Tess moved generally to the west-northwest. On September 3, Tess became a typhoon just before moving across LuzonLuzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
Tropical Storm Val (Narsing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed west of Truk/Chuuk within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
Tropical Storm Winona
The initial disturbance formed within the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
along the monsoon trough
Monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
Typhoon Andy
The initial tropical disturbance formed across the Philippine Sea within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on October 2.
Typhoon Brenda (Pining)
A tropical disturbance was tracked south of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Cecil (Rubing)
An area of convection organized into a tropical depression on October 12 in the southeastern South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
Super Typhoon Dot (Saling)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression over the open West Pacific on October 11. It headed west-northwestward, strengthening to a tropical storm on the 13th and a typhoon on the 14th. Dot rapidly intensified to a 175 mi/h Super Typhoon on the 16th, the only one of the year, and steadily weakened until hitting eastern Luzon as a 130 mi/h typhoon on the 18th. It crossed the South China Sea and hit southern Hainan Island. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 61 knots (119.6 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, but rainfall amounts were light as the system mainly bypassed the protectorate to the south. Dot made its final landfall on northern Vietnam on the 21st as a 70 mi/h tropical storm. Dot caused 101 fatalities and 2.13 billion Philippine Pesos (1987 pesos) in damage, or US$103.6 million (1987 dollars).Tropical Storm Ellis
The initial disturbance formed west of KosraeKosrae
Kosrae , formerly known as Kusaie, is an island in Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes, besides the island of Kosrae, about a dozen satellite islands and islets, the most significant of which is Lelu Island.-Geography:With a...
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Typhoon Faye (Tasing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed in the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
later that day.
Tropical Storm Gordon
The initial disturbance formed in the southern South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
Typhoon Hope (Unsing)
A tropical disturbance formed along the near-equatorial trough on December 13 between Truk and PohnpeiPohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on December 24.
Tropical Storm Irving
This system formed at the west end of the near-equatorial trough. Winter gales in the South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Other systems
There was one other tropical system acknowledged and named by PAGASAPhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
.
- Tropical Depression Openg — September 25–26
1985 storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
{| style="width:90%;"
|
- Andy 18W
- Brenda 19W
- Cecil 20W
- Dot 21WTyphoon Dot (1985)Super Typhoon Dot was the only super typhoon of the 1985 season, with maximum wind speeds of 150 knots at peak intensity...
- Ellis 22W
- Faye 23W
- Gordon 24W
- Hope 25W
- Irving 26W
The 1985 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1985, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. 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
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
Season summary
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached super typhoon strength. Only four tropical cyclones moved through the Philippines this season, while eight moved into China, three moved into Vietnam, and three moved into Japan. Tropical cyclones brought Hong Kong 40 percent of its annual rainfall. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. However, it weakened slightly before moving into the Philippines at the high end of category 3 status. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.Tropical Storm Elsie
This was the first tropical cyclone to form in the northwest Pacific basin in January in six years. Forming along the near equatorial trough, two circulations formed on either side of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
Tropical Storm Fabian (Atring)
The initial tropical disturbance formed on the west end of the near-equatorial, or monsoonMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
Tropical Depression
A tropical depression formed 740 kilometres (459.8 mi) east of Luzon on April 22. Moving east-northeast for a couple days, the system dissipated on April 24 770 kilometres (478.5 mi) north-northwest of Guam.Typhoon Gay (Bining)
Gay was the third tropical cyclone and first typhoon of the 1985 Pacific typhoon season. After over four months of inactivity, on May 16, a strong atmospheric circulation formed 380 nmi (703.8 km) west of KororKoror
Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island ....
, now part of Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
Tropical Storm Kuring
This system formed within the northern portion of the monsoon trough. Strong northeast winds aloft kept its circulation center on the northeast side of its stronger thunderstorm activity. The system drifted generally northwest, making landfall on Hainan Island before dissipating. While never upgraded by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system Kuring.
Typhoon Hal (Kuring)
Typhoon Hal, which formed on June 19 east of the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, passed just north of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Irma (Daling)
First noted southwest of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
Tropical Storm Elang
A tropical depression formed 1050 kilometres (652.4 mi) east-southeast of Manila on July 4. Moving west-northwest, the system crossed the central Philippines on July 5, moving into the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
Typhoon Jeff (Goring)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression in northwest of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
Typhoon Kit
Typhoon Kit was the first of seven tropical cyclones to form in the West Pacific in August. It formed from a disturbance at the north end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance quickly gained organization and formed into a tropical depression on August 2. The storm moved steadily to the northwest and steadily intensified. The depression became Tropical Storm Kit on August 4. The storm became a typhoon as it made a temporary jog to the north before continuing its northwest motion. The typhoon, small in size, reached its peak intensity of 85 knots (90 mph, 157 km/h) while south of KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
Tropical Storm Lee (Huling)
Lee formed within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
Typhoon Mamie
On August 15 a tropical depression formed from the monsoon trough a short distance of northern TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Nelson (Ibiang)
Typhoon Nelson, which developed on August 16, moved northwest until reaching typhoon intensity, when a blocking ridge turned the system more to the west. The cyclone brushed northern Taiwan on August 23 as a 90 mi/h typhoon. Later that day, it made landfall on eastern China before dissipating on August 24. Nelson caused 55 deaths and heavy damage across eastern China. In addition, the remnants of the storm stalled over the area, killing an additional 147 people.Typhoon Odessa
Typhoon Odessa was a tropical system that was active from August 23 through the 1st of September in the Western Pacific Ocean.Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
Typhoon Pat (Luming)
Typhoon Pat developed from the Monsoon Trough situated to the east of Taiwan on August 27. Pat quickly was upgraded to tropical storm status and was named. Due to a probable Fujiwara Interaction between Pat and Typhoon Odessa, Pat moved toward the northeast. Just before making a turn towards the northwest Pat was upgraded to a typhoon on the 28th. Typhoon Pat began to accelerate in the direction of Japan. Pat made landfall on southern KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
Tropical Storm Ruby
Forming east of Odessa and Pat, the initial disturbance developed near a location with an upper level low interacted with the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
Typhoon Skip
The initial tropical disturbance formed well south of Hawaii along the near-equatorial trough on August 28, moving briskly to the west. The system developed into Tropical Depression Two-C on August 30 and crossed the dateline the next day. It strengthened into a tropical storm and typhoon while moving northwest. It briefly threatened Wake IslandWake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
Typhoon Tess (Miling)
On August 28, a tropical disturbance formed south of Guam. On September 1, the system strengthened into a tropical depression and then tropical storm. Throughout its lifetime, Tess moved generally to the west-northwest. On September 3, Tess became a typhoon just before moving across LuzonLuzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
Tropical Storm Val (Narsing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed west of Truk/Chuuk within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
Tropical Storm Winona
The initial disturbance formed within the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
along the monsoon trough
Monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
Typhoon Andy
The initial tropical disturbance formed across the Philippine Sea within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on October 2.
Typhoon Brenda (Pining)
A tropical disturbance was tracked south of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Cecil (Rubing)
An area of convection organized into a tropical depression on October 12 in the southeastern South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
Super Typhoon Dot (Saling)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression over the open West Pacific on October 11. It headed west-northwestward, strengthening to a tropical storm on the 13th and a typhoon on the 14th. Dot rapidly intensified to a 175 mi/h Super Typhoon on the 16th, the only one of the year, and steadily weakened until hitting eastern Luzon as a 130 mi/h typhoon on the 18th. It crossed the South China Sea and hit southern Hainan Island. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 61 knots (119.6 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, but rainfall amounts were light as the system mainly bypassed the protectorate to the south. Dot made its final landfall on northern Vietnam on the 21st as a 70 mi/h tropical storm. Dot caused 101 fatalities and 2.13 billion Philippine Pesos (1987 pesos) in damage, or US$103.6 million (1987 dollars).Tropical Storm Ellis
The initial disturbance formed west of KosraeKosrae
Kosrae , formerly known as Kusaie, is an island in Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes, besides the island of Kosrae, about a dozen satellite islands and islets, the most significant of which is Lelu Island.-Geography:With a...
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Typhoon Faye (Tasing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed in the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
later that day.
Tropical Storm Gordon
The initial disturbance formed in the southern South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
Typhoon Hope (Unsing)
A tropical disturbance formed along the near-equatorial trough on December 13 between Truk and PohnpeiPohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on December 24.
Tropical Storm Irving
This system formed at the west end of the near-equatorial trough. Winter gales in the South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Other systems
There was one other tropical system acknowledged and named by PAGASAPhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
.
- Tropical Depression Openg — September 25–26
1985 storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
{| style="width:90%;"
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- Andy 18W
- Brenda 19W
- Cecil 20W
- Dot 21WTyphoon Dot (1985)Super Typhoon Dot was the only super typhoon of the 1985 season, with maximum wind speeds of 150 knots at peak intensity...
- Ellis 22W
- Faye 23W
- Gordon 24W
- Hope 25W
- Irving 26W
The 1985 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1985, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center
Joint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. 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
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which one typhoon reached super typhoon strength. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale to the east of the Philippines. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.
Season summary
A total of 29 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 28 became tropical storms. 17 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached super typhoon strength. Only four tropical cyclones moved through the Philippines this season, while eight moved into China, three moved into Vietnam, and three moved into Japan. Tropical cyclones brought Hong Kong 40 percent of its annual rainfall. The strongest cyclone of the season, Dot, reached category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. However, it weakened slightly before moving into the Philippines at the high end of category 3 status. Typhoon Cecil was the deadliest storm of the season, accounting for nearly half of the deaths from western Pacific tropical cyclones in 1985.Tropical Storm Elsie
This was the first tropical cyclone to form in the northwest Pacific basin in January in six years. Forming along the near equatorial trough, two circulations formed on either side of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Elsie formed from the eastern circulation, appearing southwest of Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on January 4. On January 5, further convective development occurred which formed a low level circulation on January 6. Becoming a tropical depression late that day and a tropical storm on January 7, the system moved northwest, reaching its peak intensity late in the day. Thereafter, strong southerly winds aloft arrested development, and weakening began. Tropical depression status was regained on January 8, and its circulation dissipated early January 9.
Tropical Storm Fabian (Atring)
The initial tropical disturbance formed on the west end of the near-equatorial, or monsoonMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, trough. Due to strong high pressure due its north, and the associated high winds associated with the northern Asian monsoon, strongest winds within the system were on its western periphery. Strong southerly winds aloft led to persistent vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
, which limited its intensification is it moved west to northwest. It passed nearby Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, and caused crop damage as it passed by the island group.
Tropical Depression
A tropical depression formed 740 kilometres (459.8 mi) east of Luzon on April 22. Moving east-northeast for a couple days, the system dissipated on April 24 770 kilometres (478.5 mi) north-northwest of Guam.Typhoon Gay (Bining)
Gay was the third tropical cyclone and first typhoon of the 1985 Pacific typhoon season. After over four months of inactivity, on May 16, a strong atmospheric circulation formed 380 nmi (703.8 km) west of KororKoror
Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island ....
, now part of Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
. The circulation began to develop convection and by May 20 had organized into a depression. Heading north, the storm took two days to gain tropical storm strength, likely because a tropical upper tropospheric trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) was so close to the north, restricting outflow. However, the trough soon weakened and outflow improved and the storm began to intensify faster. Gay became a typhoon early on May 23, continuing to intensify, Gay came under influence of a frontal boundary to the northwest and began to recurve to the northeast, through a weakness in the subtropical ridge created by the trough associated with the frontal boundary. This trough began to build and dig southeastward, pouring fuel into Gay's engine. Typhoon Gay reached its peak intensity of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h) on May 24. As cool, dry air became entrained within Gay's circulation, the cyclone began to weaken. Gay underwent extratropical transition as it interacted with the frontal boundary. Gay became extratropical shortly after weakening to a tropical storm early on May 26.
Tropical Storm Kuring
This system formed within the northern portion of the monsoon trough. Strong northeast winds aloft kept its circulation center on the northeast side of its stronger thunderstorm activity. The system drifted generally northwest, making landfall on Hainan Island before dissipating. While never upgraded by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
, the Japanese Meteorological Agency considered the system a weak tropical storm, and PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system Kuring.
Typhoon Hal (Kuring)
Typhoon Hal, which formed on June 19 east of the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, passed just north of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on the 22nd as a 95 mi/h typhoon. After briefly weakening Hal restrengthened to a peak of 115 mi/h before weakening back to a minimal typhoon. Sustained winds reached 48 knots (94.1 km/h) at Lan Yu, Taiwan. The 75 mi/h typhoon hit 75 nautical miles (138.9 km) east-southeast of Hong Kong in southeastern China on the 24th, and dissipated the next day. In Hong Kong, winds peaked at 74 knots (145 km/h) at Kwai Chung, and a total of 285.5 millimetres (11.2 in) fell at Tate's Cairn which led to landslides across the region. Heavy rain associated with the typhoon caused 38 deaths (with 14 missing) and widespread crop and structural damage. Damage totalled US$12.3 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Irma (Daling)
First noted southwest of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
on June 17, the tropical disturbance moved westward for the next several days without significant development. As it turned northwest on June 25, the system strengthened rapidly into a tropical storm, reaching typhoon intensity on June 27 as it turned more poleward. The system recurved just offshore the southern islands of Japan before striking southwest of Tokyo, Japan as a typhoon on July 1. Weakening as it accelerated northeast, Irma regained tropical storm intensity later that day and became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
that night. As Irma passed to the east of the Philippines the system enhanced the Monsoon Trough causing heavy rains over Luzon Island. A total of 46 people were killed and 1,500 homes were destroyed. In Japan Irma killed 3 people and left 5 missing. Over 20,000 houses were damaged and 50,000 hectares of farmland were ruined. Damage across the Philippines and Japan totalled US$80 million (1985 dollars).
Tropical Storm Elang
A tropical depression formed 1050 kilometres (652.4 mi) east-southeast of Manila on July 4. Moving west-northwest, the system crossed the central Philippines on July 5, moving into the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
on July 6. Moving more towards the north on July 7, the depression moved inland into southern China east of Hong Kong on July 8. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 47 knots (92.1 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, where 114.1 millimetres (4.5 in) fell. While Hong Kong considered it a tropical depression throughout its life cycle, PAGASA
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
named the system and considered it a tropical storm.
Typhoon Jeff (Goring)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression in northwest of GuamGuam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
on July 21. It tracked northward, becoming a tropical storm on the 22nd and reaching its first peak of 70 mi/h winds on the 23rd. An upper level trough outran the system, forcing Jeff westward into a shearing environment and weakening it to a depression on the 26th. The shear abated, and Jeff was able to restrengthen, becoming a storm on the 27th and a typhoon on the 29th. The 85 mi/h typhoon hit eastern China on the 30th. It brought the heaviest rain to Shaghai since 1962. Jeff weakened rapidly to a depression, but upon reaching the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, it again restrengthened to a tropical storm on the 1st. Jeff reached a third peak of 60 mi/h winds before becoming extratropical on the 2nd. A total of 245 people were killed from this storm, with moderate to heavy damage to crops.
Typhoon Kit
Typhoon Kit was the first of seven tropical cyclones to form in the West Pacific in August. It formed from a disturbance at the north end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance quickly gained organization and formed into a tropical depression on August 2. The storm moved steadily to the northwest and steadily intensified. The depression became Tropical Storm Kit on August 4. The storm became a typhoon as it made a temporary jog to the north before continuing its northwest motion. The typhoon, small in size, reached its peak intensity of 85 knots (90 mph, 157 km/h) while south of KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on August 8. Kit recurved in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
in the face of an approaching trough which caused a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
. Kit made landfall on the south-western tip of South Korea as a weak typhoon. The storm killed twelve people from resultant flooding and caused significant property damage on Cheju Island and the southern coast of South Korea. Kit became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. A total of US$3.7 million (1985 dollars) of damage were caused by Kit across South Korea and Japan.
Tropical Storm Lee (Huling)
Lee formed within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and was initially influenced by Kit to its north. Kit's movement to the north reoriented the trough into a more north-south orientation, and a broad circulation formed 890 km south of Okinawa. Moving north-northeast, convection around the system began to organize into a more consolidated tropical storm. The system turned northwest, but development was halted by northerly vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
. Its circulation center remained fairly broad while it continued to deepen, more like a monsoon depression than a tropical cyclone. As the system passed close to Okinawa, winds remained fairly light. However, winds increased as it pulled away, due to the pressure gradient/strongest winds being well removed from the center. Continuing to move north into a break in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
, Lee moved through the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
to about 445 km west of Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
and stayed about 220 km offshore the western Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. By this time, the system was evolving into a more typical tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
, with stronger winds closer to the center. Accelerating across the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
on August 14, Lee began to recurve across North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and subsequently weakened rapidly across the mountainous terrain. A total of US$3.9 million (1985 dollars) in damage was caused by Lee.
Typhoon Mamie
On August 15 a tropical depression formed from the monsoon trough a short distance of northern TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. It headed northeastward, becoming a tropical storm later that day. The building of the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its east forced Mamie northwestward, where it became a typhoon on August 17. On August 18, the typhoon hit near Shanghai, China, and paralleled the east coast of China. The storm turned to the northeast, hit near Dairen, China, and dissipated on August 20. Mamie was responsible for 44 fatalities and heavy crop damage. Total damage amounted to US$13.7 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Nelson (Ibiang)
Typhoon Nelson, which developed on August 16, moved northwest until reaching typhoon intensity, when a blocking ridge turned the system more to the west. The cyclone brushed northern Taiwan on August 23 as a 90 mi/h typhoon. Later that day, it made landfall on eastern China before dissipating on August 24. Nelson caused 55 deaths and heavy damage across eastern China. In addition, the remnants of the storm stalled over the area, killing an additional 147 people.Typhoon Odessa
Typhoon Odessa was a tropical system that was active from August 23 through the 1st of September in the Western Pacific Ocean.Odessa was one of three tropical cyclones to exist in the area of Japan at around the same time. Odessa and Pat would pass very close together with Ruby impacting Tokyo. Odessa formed from an area of disturbed weather that persisted on the eastern end of a monsoon trough. The disturbance organized into a depression on August 23 and continued to develop and it was a tropical storm before the day was over. Odessa assumed a northerly track as it continued to strengthen, reaching typhoon intensity late on October 24. Odessa had become a compact storm with a very symmetrical structure. Its eye was very well defined, despite its peak intensity of 90 knots (100 mph, 165 km/h). Odessa was observed by STS 51 as they passed overhead. Odessa was one of the most powerful, circular tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
patterns ever seen by spacecraft crew. After moving westward and stalling southwest of Japan, it turned the northeast, travelling along the south-western coast of Japan, weakening along the way, before becoming extratropical on September 1.
Typhoon Pat (Luming)
Typhoon Pat developed from the Monsoon Trough situated to the east of Taiwan on August 27. Pat quickly was upgraded to tropical storm status and was named. Due to a probable Fujiwara Interaction between Pat and Typhoon Odessa, Pat moved toward the northeast. Just before making a turn towards the northwest Pat was upgraded to a typhoon on the 28th. Typhoon Pat began to accelerate in the direction of Japan. Pat made landfall on southern KyūshūKyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
on the 30th before accelerating through the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and turning extratropical. Pat killed 23 people through Kyūshū and Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
and destroyed 3,000 homes.
Tropical Storm Ruby
Forming east of Odessa and Pat, the initial disturbance developed near a location with an upper level low interacted with the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
. The low pressure area formed on August 25 to the south-southeast of Okinawa, moving around the southern periphery of Odessa and Pat. Thunderstorm activity concentrated near its low level center, and the system rapidly moved through the tropical depression stage into the tropical storm stage on August 26, developing an elliptical eye. Vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
from Odessa kept Ruby from becoming a typhoon. Weaving its way northward, Ruby moved across Tokyo early on August 31 as it lost its central convection. Later that day, the system evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
. Six perished due to Ruby. Damage totalled US$14 million (1985 dollars) from Odessa, Pat, and Ruby.
Typhoon Skip
The initial tropical disturbance formed well south of Hawaii along the near-equatorial trough on August 28, moving briskly to the west. The system developed into Tropical Depression Two-C on August 30 and crossed the dateline the next day. It strengthened into a tropical storm and typhoon while moving northwest. It briefly threatened Wake IslandWake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
as a typhoon before a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough
A tropical upper tropospheric trough , also known as the mid-oceanic trough, is a trough situated in upper-level tropics. Its formation is usually caused by the intrusion of energy and wind from the mid-latitudes into the tropics. It can also develop from the inverted trough adjacent to an upper...
(TUTT) recurved Skip off to the northeast. It then recrossed the date line as a tropical storm. Skip became an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on September 8 as it turned to the north and northeast.
Typhoon Tess (Miling)
On August 28, a tropical disturbance formed south of Guam. On September 1, the system strengthened into a tropical depression and then tropical storm. Throughout its lifetime, Tess moved generally to the west-northwest. On September 3, Tess became a typhoon just before moving across LuzonLuzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, with four perishing from the resultant floods. A tornado was spawned by the system in Lemery. Briefly dropping to tropical storm strength, the cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
turned to the west upon entering the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. On September 5, Tess strengthened into a typhoon while moving northwest towards China and Hong Kong. Winds gusted to 65 knots (127.4 km/h) at Hong Kong's international airport and 88 knots (172.5 km/h) at Green Island. Tate's Cairn measured 204.4 millimetres (8 in) of rainfall. Flooding and crop damage was reported across southern China near where Tess moved inland and dissipated. One perished in the Philippines, and two in Hong Kong.
Tropical Storm Val (Narsing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed west of Truk/Chuuk within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
, and moved northwestward. After developing into a tropical depression early on September 15, the system moved around a west-north-westerly course, becoming a tropical storm on September 15. As Val passed south of Naha, the system turned more westward blocked by the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
and passed south of Taiwan, which caused its center to become ill defined. The resultant tropical depression moved inland into southeast China on September 18. Winds remained below tropical storm force in Hong Kong, and rainfall amounts were light.
Tropical Storm Winona
The initial disturbance formed within the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
along the monsoon trough
Monsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 18. Moving northwest, the system developed into a tropical depression on September 19 and a tropical storm on early on September 21. Turning more to the north, Winona missed Hainan Island to the east, and moved into southern China west of Hong Kong on September 22, before quickly dissipating. Floods across southeast China trapped 57,000 people, and at least 7500 homes were damaged.
Typhoon Andy
The initial tropical disturbance formed across the Philippine Sea within the monsoon troughMonsoon trough
The monsoon trough is that portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone which extends into or through a monsoon circulation, as depicted by a line on a weather map showing the locations of minimum sea level pressure, and as such, is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and...
on September 25, moving westward across Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on September 26. As it moved across the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, a surge in the northeast flow helped the system develop into a tropical depression on September 27 before strengthening into a tropical storm on September 28. Typhoon intensity was reached on September 29, and its center moved along the south coast of Hainan Island where winds gusted to 80 knots (156.8 km/h). The storm continued south of due west across the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
into Vietnam late on October 1, killing 46 people across central portions of the country. The weakening cyclone crossed central Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
before dissipating in northeast Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on October 2.
Typhoon Brenda (Pining)
A tropical disturbance was tracked south of PonapePohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
in late September before consolidating into a tropical depression on the 29th to the east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The depression moved towards the west and was named Tropical Storm Brenda on the 30th and became a typhoon the same day. Brenda then completed a small cyclonic loop on the 1st of October before turning towards the northwest and strengthening to a peak of 105 mi/h. Brenda turned more northerly and skimmed the southern coast of South Korea before turning extratropical in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. Nearly 12 inches (304.8 mm) of rain fell on the South Korean Peninsula heavy flooding on Cheju Island and near Pusan killed 14 people and left 43 missing. The damage from the system totalled US$10 million (1985 dollars).
Typhoon Cecil (Rubing)
An area of convection organized into a tropical depression on October 12 in the southeastern South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. It tracked to the west-northwest, becoming a tropical storm later that day and a typhoon on the 13th. Cecil continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 115 mi/h winds before hitting north-central Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
and dissipating on the 16th. Torrential flooding and wind damage to the area caused 702 casualties, with widespread structural and crop damage.
Super Typhoon Dot (Saling)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression over the open West Pacific on October 11. It headed west-northwestward, strengthening to a tropical storm on the 13th and a typhoon on the 14th. Dot rapidly intensified to a 175 mi/h Super Typhoon on the 16th, the only one of the year, and steadily weakened until hitting eastern Luzon as a 130 mi/h typhoon on the 18th. It crossed the South China Sea and hit southern Hainan Island. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 61 knots (119.6 km/h) at Tate's Cairn, but rainfall amounts were light as the system mainly bypassed the protectorate to the south. Dot made its final landfall on northern Vietnam on the 21st as a 70 mi/h tropical storm. Dot caused 101 fatalities and 2.13 billion Philippine Pesos (1987 pesos) in damage, or US$103.6 million (1987 dollars).Tropical Storm Ellis
The initial disturbance formed west of KosraeKosrae
Kosrae , formerly known as Kusaie, is an island in Micronesia. The State of Kosrae is one of four states of the Federated States of Micronesia, and includes, besides the island of Kosrae, about a dozen satellite islands and islets, the most significant of which is Lelu Island.-Geography:With a...
on October 13, moving west-northwest. Slow to organize, the system evolved into a tropical depression on October 16 and a tropical storm late that day. Soon afterwards, Ellis turned westward and slowed due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge
Subtropical ridge
The subtropical ridge is a significant belt of high pressure situated around the latitudes of 30°N in the Northern Hemisphere and 30°S in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by mostly calm winds, which acts to reduce air quality under its axis by causing fog overnight, and haze during...
to its north caused by a system passing well to the north of Ellis. The storm turned southwest on October 17 due to the building in of a stronger high pressure system to its northwest. By October 20, Ellis weakened into a tropical depression while resuming a westward course as it passed under an upper level low which increased vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
and disrupted its associated thunderstorm activity. The cyclone turned west-northwest on October 21 for a couple days before dissipating east of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Typhoon Faye (Tasing)
The initial tropical disturbance formed in the South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, and was swept eastward through the Philippines due to Dot's movement to its north. The system emerged east of the Philippines and developed into a tropical depression and tropical storm on October 23. Turning northwest, Faye crossed central Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
on October 24, weakening back into a tropical depression. Back in the South China sea, Faye regained tropical storm strength. The cyclone made a small cyclonic loop between October 25 and October 26 as a system over China approached Faye from the northwest. The tropical cyclone accelerated east-northwest, passing just north of Luzon. By October 28, Faye's motion slowed and the system strengthened into a typhoon early on October 29. After passing Okinawa, strong westerly winds aloft caused the typhoon to begin to weaken. Early on November 1, Faye weakened into a tropical storm before it evolved into an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
later that day.
Tropical Storm Gordon
The initial disturbance formed in the southern South China seaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
and moved eastward. Its initial intensification to a tropical storm was caused by a surge in the northeast flow to its north and west, and the system turned to the north. As the cyclone became warm core, Gordon was able to restrengthen into a tropical storm after the monsoon wind surge slackened. Throughout its life cycle, thunderstorm activity was removed to the northwest of Gordon's low level circulation. Soon after becoming a tropical storm again, Gordon turned to the west-northwest and made landfall in Vietnam.
Typhoon Hope (Unsing)
A tropical disturbance formed along the near-equatorial trough on December 13 between Truk and PohnpeiPohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
. The system moved westward, and slowly developed. By early on December 18, a tropical depression had formed, and intensification continued for the next couple days as Hope became an intense typhoon on the afternoon of December 20. Weakening was seen later that day, and its eye disappeared. The system moved west-northwest, threatening Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
for a time. Just before landfall, Hope recurved north and eastward, sparing the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and becoming an extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are a group of cyclones defined as synoptic scale low pressure weather systems that occur in the middle latitudes of the Earth having neither tropical nor polar characteristics, and are connected with fronts and...
on December 24.
Tropical Storm Irving
This system formed at the west end of the near-equatorial trough. Winter gales in the South China SeaSouth China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
masked this system's existence. The cyclone was first noted just west of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
on December 18 and moved westward, becoming a tropical storm on December 19. As it approached southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, the cyclone turned southwest and weakened, dissipating as it made landfall along the Malay peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Other systems
There was one other tropical system acknowledged and named by PAGASAPhilippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration is a Philippine national institution dedicated to provide flood and typhoon warnings, public weather forecasts and advisories, meteorological, astronomical, climatological, and other specialized information and...
.
- Tropical Depression Openg — September 25–26
1985 storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning CenterJoint Typhoon Warning Center
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force task force located at the Naval Maritime Forecast Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii...
. The first storm of 1985 was named Elsie and the final one was named Irving.
{| style="width:90%;"
|
- Andy 18W
- Brenda 19W
- Cecil 20W
- Dot 21WTyphoon Dot (1985)Super Typhoon Dot was the only super typhoon of the 1985 season, with maximum wind speeds of 150 knots at peak intensity...
- Ellis 22W
- Faye 23W
- Gordon 24W
- Hope 25W
- Irving 26W
- JudyKenLolaMacNancyOwenPeggyRogerSarahTipVeraWayne
|- AbbyBenCarmenDomEllenForrestGeorgiaHerbertIdaJoeKimLexMargeNorrisOrchidPercyRuthSperryThelmaVernonWynn
|- AlexBettyCaryDinahEdFredaGeraldHollyIanJuneKellyLynnMauryNinaOgdenPhyllisRoySusanThadVanessaWarren
|- AgnesBillClaraDoyle
- Elsie 1W
- Fabian 2W
- Gay 3W
- Hal 5W
- Irma 6W
- Jeff 7W
- Kit 8W
- Lee 9W
- Mamie 10W
- Nelson 11W
- Odessa 12W
- Pat 13W
- Ruby 14W
- Skip 2C
- Tess 15W
- Val 16W
- Winona 17W
|}
One central Pacific system, Tropical Depression Two-C, crossed into this basin, keeping its "C" suffix but earning a West Pacific name.
See also
- List of Pacific typhoon seasons
- 1985 Pacific hurricane season1985 Pacific hurricane seasonThe 1985 Pacific hurricane season was an event in tropical cyclone meteorology. It officially started on May 15, 1985 in the eastern Pacific, and on June 1, 1985 in the central Pacific, and lasted until November 30, 1985...
- 1985 Atlantic hurricane season1985 Atlantic hurricane seasonThe 1985 Atlantic hurricane season had the most U.S. landfalling tropical cyclones since 1916. The season officially began on June 1, 1985, and lasted until November 30, 1985...
- 1985 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
- Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons: 1984-85, 1985-86
External links
- Satellite movie of 1985 Pacific typhoon season
- Japan Meteorological Agency
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
- China Meteorological Agency
- National Weather Service Guam
- Hong Kong Observatory
- Macau Meteorological Geophysical Services
- Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
- Taiwan Central Weather Bureau
