First system formed January 16, 1969 Name Elsie Total storms 23 | Last system dissipated December 21, 1969 Total depressions 34 Typhoons 13 | |
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The 1969 Pacific typhoon season was the third least-active season on record. The season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1969, 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.
Contents
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the international date line. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1969 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
34 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 23 became tropical storms. 13 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 2 reached super typhoon strength.
Typhoon Viola (Elang)
Large Super Typhoon Viola, which formed on July 22 east of the Philippines, brushed northern Luzon with winds of 150 mph on the 26th. It continued to the northwest, and weakened due to lack of inflow. Viola hit southeastern China as a minimal typhoon on the 28th, and dissipated the next day. The typhoon caused more than 1000 deaths in and around Shantou, Guangdong, China, where it made the landfall.
Super Typhoon Elsie (Narsing)
On September 19, Tropical Depression 14W formed over the open Western Pacific. It tracked almost due westward, becoming a tropical storm on the 20th and a typhoon on the 21st. Elsie continued to intensify, and reached a peak of 175 mph winds on the 24th. After peaking, the typhoon steadily weakened as it moved westward. On the 26th 105 mph Typhoon Elsie hit northern Taiwan, and a day later hit eastern China. After drifting northward, Elsie dissipated over China on September 28. The typhoon killed 102 people, with 24 missing and 227 injured from the system.
Typhoon Flossie (Openg)
Just days after Elsie hit Taiwan, Tropical Storm Flossie approached Taiwan. From October 1 to the 5th, it drifted northward offshore of the island. It accelerated to the northeast, and became extratropical on the 10th east of Japan. Flossie's heavy rains left 75 people dead.
1969 storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The first storm of 1969 was named Phyllis and the final one was named Marie.