The 1978 Pacific typhoon season was a very active season that produced 31 tropical storms, 16 typhoons and one intense typhoon. It ran year-round in 1978, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Tropical storms that formed in the basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center while systems that were active in the Philippine area of responsibility were assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). This often results in the same storm having two names.
Seasonal summary
33 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 29 became tropical storms. 15 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached super typhoon strength. Many of the storms either remained at sea or failed to do any damage.
Systems Severe Tropical Storm Nadine
Nadine stayed at sea and was the first severe tropical storm of the season. It lived at least 1 week.
Typhoon Olive (Atang)
On 12:00 UTC on April 11, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) began to monitor a surface circulation which had formed within the trough. Five days later, the JTWC issued their first warning on the system as it began coalescing.1978 TCR – Joint Typhoon Warning Center (Retrieved 1/17/24) On April 18, the system entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, resulting in PAGASA naming the system Atang. Later that day, the system intensified into a tropical storm, resulting in it being named Olive.
Olive would steadily intensify after it entered the South China Sea on April 20, being in an environment with good outflow aloft and warm Sea surface temperatures, resulting in it intensifying into a typhoon on April 22. Olive would recurve due to a break in the subtropical ridge, peaking with sustained winds of the next day. It accelerated to the east-northeast, steadily weakening due to intruding cool and dry air, resulting in the system becoming extratropical early on April 26.
As Olive passed the Philippines, it would affect nearly 370,000 people in the nation, leaving 3,500 homeless. The MV Leyte, a lengthened ship of the Compania Maritima was caught in it, being wrecked in the southwestern portion of Sibuyan Island as she was on a Manila-Cebu voyage. The Hong Kong Observatory would hoist its Stand-By Signal No. 1 for Hong Kong on April 24 as Olive was at its closest to the island.
Tropical Storm Polly (Bising)
Polly was the first of three weak June systems.
Tropical Storm Rose (Klaring)
Rose was the second of three weak June systems.
Tropical Storm Shirley (Deling)
Shirley hit Vietnam as a tropical storm.
Typhoon Trix
Trix did a loop.
Typhoon Virginia
Virginia stayed largely at sea.
Typhoon Wendy (Emang)
Wendy ultimately hit Japan.
Severe Tropical Storm Agnes
Agnes formed on July 24, made a complete loop, and struck China on July 29 with winds of 55 mph after peaking at 65 mph.1978 ATCR TABLE OF CONTENTS It dissipated the 30th. In Hong Kong Tropical Storm Agnes killed 3 people.
Tropical Storm Bonnie
Bonnie hit Vietnam.
Typhoon Carmen (Iliang)
On August 7, a deepening tropical upper tropospheric trough began interacting with a low-level monsoon trough, leading to an increase in convective activity from divergence aloft within the disturbance embedded. The low slowly consolidated over the next few days. On August 11, a reconnaissance aircraft reported a minimum central pressure of 992 mb, subsequently upgrading the disturbance to Tropical Storm Carmen. The storm initially took an erratic path before upper-level steering from southwesterlies east of the TUTT led to Carmen moving towards the north-northwest. Carmen continued to accelerate along this trajectory, reaching typhoon status on August 13 and eventually peaking as an 80 kt (90 mph) typhoon a few days later as Carmen’s structure became more symmetrical whilst having a small wind radii. By August 16, Carmen was caught in a col region of weak steering flow, causing it to once again move erratically just offshore mainland China. A shortwave trough developed over the Asian mainland which led to Carmen’s recurvature north-northeastwards. On August 20, Carmen made landfall in Jeonnam, South Korea as a weakening tropical storm, being downgraded to a remnant low shortly after.
Carmen was responsible for causing considerable damage over South Korea as it made landfall, such as widespread flooding that killed 21 people, and causing $3 million (1978 USD) in property damage. During Carmen’s formative stage, Saipan also reported property damage and flooding. However, little damage was reported when Carmen passed near Okinawa.
Tropical Storm Della (Heling)
Della made landfall in Taiwan and China.
Tropical Storm 13W
13W was weak but hit Japan.
Typhoon Elaine (Miding)
A tropical disturbance within the monsoon trough was first noted on August 18 as it was gradually organizing to the northeast of Palau. However, strong upper-level wind shear inhibited development of the disturbance for the next few days. On August 21, though still rather disorganized, the disturbance strengthened into Tropical Depression 14, it later began moving towards the southeast from a mid-tropospheric ridge providing an east-northeasterly steering flow, where the depression made landfall over Luzon on August 23. Inland Luzon, depression continued to intensify, being upgraded to Tropical Storm Elaine shortly before entering the South China Sea. Between August 24–25, Elaine was caught between a region of strong southwesterly monsoon flow and strong northeasterly flow, causing the system to loop twice consecutively. As the same mid-tropospheric ridge began to migrate northwards, Elaine jogged to the northwest and was approaching the southern coast of China. On August 27, a ship reported surface winds of 65 kt, upgrading Elaine to typhoon status as it made landfall near the Leizhou Peninsula. After making landfall, Elaine rapidly degenerated into a remnant low, with final warnings being issued on August 28.
Elaine caused heavy damage in portions of northern Luzon after making landfall as a tropical depression. In Hong Kong, Signal 8SE warnings were issued as the storm inched closer towards China; despite making landfall as a typhoon, little damage was reported in Hong Kong although Elaine left one person dead and 51 others injured.
Typhoon Faye
A tropical disturbance was first noted by a reconnaissance aircraft southeast of Ponape on August 24, gradually moving west-northwestwards as a tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT) with an embedded low northwest of the disturbance provided a diffluent upper-level outflow pattern. On August 28, reconnaissance confirmed a closed surface circulation with a minimum central pressure of 1000 mb, prompting its upgrade to Tropical Depression 16, strengthening into Tropical Storm Faye a few hours later. Faye proceeded to gradually strengthen as nearby Tropical Storms Gloria and Hester began to elongate the monsoon trough, causing Faye to complete a rare anticyclonic loop while wedged in a col region between two anticyclones near Marcus Island and south of Guam. On September 1, Faye underwent quick intensification and was upgraded to typhoon status after observations reported a poorly defined eye and a central pressure of 984 mb. The storm turned northwestward the next day as a longwave trough dominated the western Pacific, eventually peaking as a strong Category 3-equivalent typhoon. Faye then gradually weakened and was downgraded to tropical storm status on September 4. However, reconnaissance reported a pressure drop to 975 mb and improved cloud structure, prompting a brief re-upgrade to typhoon status on September 5 due to weak mid- to upper-level winds. Increasing vertical wind shear though subsequently caused weakening, and Faye completed extratropical transition late on September 7.
Though Faye stayed relatively out at sea, it caused damage over the Northern Mariana Islands. During its anticyclonic loop, the islands of Agrihan, Alamagan and Pagan were affected twice, the latter island experiencing the most damage with sixty-five homes being destroyed and one merchant vessel being grounded.
Tropical Storm Gloria (Norming)
Gloria stayed at sea.
Tropical Storm Hester
Hester stayed away from land.
Typhoon Irma (Ruping)
Irma, the eighth typhoon of the 1978 season, developed in the monsoon trough southeast of Taiwan. It made landfall in Honshu, Japan. With winds of up to 120 km/h, Typhoon Irma killed at least 6 people and made about 3,000 homeless. Four people were missing and about 100 were injured by floods and landslides in southwestern Japan. It destroyed or damaged 1,597 homes and left 6,266 homes flooded. Irma smashed windows, overturned cars, and capsized several fishing boats. Several athletes at the Japan-China Friendship Track and Field Meet in Kitakyushu were injured when a freak gust blew them ten feet in the air. A Liberian-registered tanker was swept from its moorings off the port of Kure and drifted for nearly 5 kilometers before running aground off a small island in the Inland Sea. Irma remained a typhoon for only 12 hours becoming the shortest-lived typhoon of the season.
Typhoon Judy
Judy did not impact land.
Severe Tropical Storm Kit (Uding)
Kit hit Vietnam and The Philippines.
Typhoon Lola (Weling)
Lola hit China and the Philippines.
Typhoon Mamie
Mamie recurved out to sea.
Severe Tropical Storm Nina (Yaning)
According to the official reports, 59 people died and more than 500,000 were in evacuation centers in the Philippines.
Typhoon Ora (Aning)
Ora brushed Taiwan.
Tropical Depression 25W
25W did not affect land.
Tropical Depression 26W (Bidang)
On October 10, a tropical depression formed nearby Yap Island, gaining the designation number 26 by the JTWC, the depression slowly meandered to the northwest through the following days. 26W was given the name “Bidang” by PAGASA as it crossed into their area of responsibility. Following a northward jog, the depression dissipated on October 17.
Typhoon Phyllis
On October 13, a tropical depression formed from a near-equatorial trough over the southern Mariana Islands where it was eventually numbered Tropical Depression 27 by the JTWC. The depression was upgraded to Tropical Storm Phyllis on October 15 as per observations from a reconnaissance aircraft, indicating that Phyllis was a small, compact storm. As it slowly strengthened, a dominant high pressure area northeast of Wake Island had begun to take shape, causing Phyllis to take a northwest trajectory, simultaneously, a nearby tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT) had begun to move north as well allowing an increase in outflow aloft where Phyllis was upgraded to typhoon status on October 17. As the dominant high pressure area began to weaken, Phyllis decelerated where it achieved peak intensity as a high-end Category 2-equivalent typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of 95 kt (110 mph). Cooler sea surface temperatures and reduced upper-level outflow aloft eventually caused Phyllis to gradually weaken as it began to rapidly reaccelerate northwards from the initial dominant high pressure area restrengthening to the west of Phyllis. Increased vertical wind shear continued to weaken the storm, leading to its downgrade to tropical storm intensity on October 22, a strong pressure gradient from a nearby surface low moving eastward off eastern Japan and the strong surface ridge to the east of Phyllis allowed it to maintain gale-force winds as extratropical transition commenced and later completed the next day.