Typhoon Nancy facts for kids
Super Typhoon Nancy was an incredibly powerful storm that happened in September 1961. It had some of the strongest winds ever recorded for a tropical cyclone. Nancy caused a lot of damage and affected many people in places like Guam and Japan.
Super Typhoon Nancy: A Record-Breaking Storm
Super Typhoon Nancy was a truly amazing storm because of how strong it was. In September 1961, its winds reached an incredible 215 miles per hour! This made Nancy the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded at that time. Other very powerful storms, like Typhoon Tip, Typhoon Keith, Hurricane Camille, and Hurricane Allen, had winds around 190 miles per hour. Nancy was even stronger than those.
What is a Category 5 Hurricane?
When Nancy happened in 1961, the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale didn't exist yet. This scale helps us measure how strong hurricanes are, from Category 1 (least strong) to Category 5 (most strong). If the scale had been around, Nancy would have been a Category 5 storm for five and a half days! That would have been a record for any storm in the Northern Hemisphere. A Category 5 storm has winds of 157 miles per hour or more, causing huge damage.
Nancy's Path and Impact
Before reaching Japan, Super Typhoon Nancy first hit Guam, an island in the Pacific Ocean. After that, the storm moved towards Japan, where it caused a lot of destruction. Sadly, Nancy caused the loss of about 174 lives in Japan. The storm also created a lot of damage, costing over $500 million (in 1961 money). This shows just how powerful and destructive Super Typhoon Nancy was.
