Typhoon Nancy (1961) facts for kids
A radar image of Nancy
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| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 7, 1961 |
| Extratropical | September 16, 1961 |
| Dissipated | September 22, 1961 |
| Unknown strength tropical cyclone | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Lowest pressure | 890 hPa (mbar); 26.28 inHg |
| Category 5 super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 345 km/h (215 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 882 hPa (mbar); 26.05 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 202 confirmed |
| Missing | 8 |
| Damage | $500 million (1961 USD) |
| Areas affected | Guam, Ryūkyū Islands, Japan |
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Part of the 1961 Pacific typhoon season |
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Super Typhoon Nancy, also known as the 2nd Muroto Typhoon (第二室戸台風, Daini-muroto Taifū), was an incredibly strong storm. It was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. This typhoon hit in September 1961. It caused a lot of damage and affected many people in Japan and other areas. Scientists once thought Nancy had the strongest winds ever measured in a storm, reaching speeds of about 345 km/h (215 mph). This was similar to Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
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How Did Super Typhoon Nancy Form and Move?
Super Typhoon Nancy started as a small weather disturbance near Kwajalein Atoll on September 7, 1961. It quickly grew stronger. By September 8, it was almost a super typhoon.
Nancy moved west and became incredibly powerful very fast. On September 9, it reached wind speeds like a Category 5 super typhoon. This is the highest category on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. Nancy stayed this strong for several days.
Nancy's Journey Across the Pacific
After reaching its strongest point, Nancy moved towards the Ryukyu Islands. It then started to change direction. The typhoon passed close to Okinawa and over a place called Naze.
The weather patterns guiding Nancy changed, causing the typhoon to turn sharply. It then headed straight for Japan. On September 16, Nancy hit land as a very strong typhoon. It passed directly over Cape Muroto.
Nancy made a second landfall on Honshū island, near Osaka. The typhoon moved quickly across Japan, speeding up as it went. It reached a forward speed of about 65 mph (105 km/h; 56 kn).
After crossing Hokkaidō, Nancy moved into the Sea of Okhotsk. It became a weaker tropical storm. By September 17, Nancy changed into a different type of weather system, called an extratropical storm. This system eventually moved over Kamchatka and out into the open ocean.
What Impact Did Super Typhoon Nancy Have?
| Name | Number | Japanese name |
|---|---|---|
| Ida | T4518 | Makurazaki Typhoon (枕崎台風) |
| Louise | T4523 | Akune Typhoon (阿久根台風) |
| Marie | T5415 | Tōya Maru Typhoon (洞爺丸台風) |
| Ida | T5822 | Kanogawa Typhoon (狩野川台風) |
| Sarah | T5914 | Miyakojima Typhoon (宮古島台風) |
| Vera | T5915 | Isewan Typhoon (伊勢湾台風) |
| Nancy | T6118 | 2nd Muroto Typhoon (第2室戸台風) |
| Cora | T6618 | 2nd Miyakojima Typhoon (第2宮古島台風) |
| Della | T6816 | 3rd Miyakojima Typhoon (第3宮古島台風) |
| Babe | T7709 | Okinoerabu Typhoon (沖永良部台風) |
| Faxai | T1915 | Reiwa 1 Bōsō Peninsula Typhoon (令和元年房総半島台風) |
| Hagibis | T1919 | Reiwa 1 East Japan Typhoon (令和元年東日本台風) |
Super Typhoon Nancy caused a lot of damage, even though the exact total cost is not known. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) described the damage as "phenomenal." Sadly, at least 194 people died, and 8 people were never found. Nearly 5,000 people were injured.
Impact on Guam
On the island of Guam, more than half of all farm crops were ruined by the strong winds and heavy rain. Roads on the island suffered about $40,000 (in 1961 money) worth of damage. Most of this damage happened on the southern part of Guam. Luckily, no one died on Guam.
Impact on the Ryukyu Islands
In the Ryukyu Islands, areas close to sea level experienced severe flooding. This caused significant harm to farms and buildings.
Impact on Japan
In Japan, official reports confirmed that 194 people died, 8 were missing, and 4,972 people were injured. This made Nancy the sixth-deadliest typhoon to hit Japan at that time. Good warnings and preparations likely helped keep the number of deaths lower. The overall damage was considered "small" compared to other typhoons that hit busy parts of Japan.
Hundreds of thousands of people had their daily lives turned upside down. Super Typhoon Nancy destroyed 11,539 houses. It also damaged 32,604 homes and flooded 280,078 others. A newspaper called Stars and Stripes reported that over 1,056 ships and fishing boats sank or were pushed ashore. Many more were damaged.
The floodwaters washed away 566 bridges and caused 1,146 landslides. Roads were destroyed in 2,053 different places. In Osaka, the damage cost around US$0.5 billion.
On Amami-o-Shima, one person went missing, and another was badly hurt. A ship sank there. Widespread flooding of crops and homes left 152 people without a place to live.
Because of the severe damage and loss of life, the Japan Meteorological Agency gave Nancy a special name: the "Second Muroto Typhoon." Nancy is one of only twelve typhoons in Japan to receive such a special name.
Why Is Super Typhoon Nancy Famous?
| Typhoon | Season | Pressure | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hPa | inHg | |||
| 1 | Tip | 1979 | 870 | 25.7 |
| 2 | June | 1975 | 875 | 25.8 |
| Nora | 1973 | |||
| 4 | Forrest | 1983 | 876 | 25.9 |
| 5 | Ida | 1958 | 877 | 25.9 |
| 6 | Rita | 1978 | 878 | 26.0 |
| 7 | Kit | 1966 | 880 | 26.0 |
| Vanessa | 1984 | |||
| 9 | Nancy | 1961 | 882 | 26.4 |
| 10 | Irma | 1971 | 884 | 26.1 |
| Source: JMA Typhoon Best Track Analysis Information for the North Western Pacific Ocean. |
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Super Typhoon Nancy holds some interesting records, even though some details are still debated by scientists today.
When a special aircraft flew into Nancy on September 12, it measured the typhoon's winds at about 185 knots (213 mph; 343 km/h). If these measurements were perfectly accurate, Nancy would have had the strongest winds ever recorded in a tropical cyclone.
However, scientists later realized that wind speed measurements from the 1940s to 1960s might have been a bit too high. So, Nancy's actual winds might have been slightly lower, perhaps closer to 153 knots (285 km/h; 175 mph). Still, it was an incredibly powerful storm! In 2016, scientists looked back at Hurricane Patricia and found it had similar strong winds, making both storms among the most intense ever.
Even though the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (which ranks hurricanes) didn't exist back then, Nancy was strong enough to be considered a Category 5 storm for about five and a half days. This is a very long time for a storm to stay so powerful. It set a record for the Northern Hemisphere for how long a storm stayed at such high intensity.
See Also
- List of tropical cyclone records
- Other storms of the same name
- 1934 Muroto typhoon - The most intense landfalling typhoon in Japanese history, with a peak low pressure of 911.9 hPa (26.93 inHg)
- Typhoon Vera (1959) - The strongest storm to ever impact Japan, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 mph (260 km/h) upon landfall - Comparable to a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon
- Typhoon Mireille (1991) - Similar track, also very costly and destructive upon landfall
- Typhoon Neoguri (2014) - Similar track, though much weaker on landfall
- Hurricane Patricia (2015) - Ties Typhoon Nancy for one-minute maximum sustained winds of 215 mph (346 km/h).
- Typhoon Jebi (2018) - Similar track, also caused massive damage in Japan
- Typhoon Hagibis (2019) - Another deadly and extremely destructive storm that became the costliest typhoon on record
