Typhoon Vera
| Category 5 super typhoon (SSHWS) | |
| Formed | September 21, 1959 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 28, 1959 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 315 km/h (195 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 896 hPa (mbar); 26.46 inHg |
| Fatalities | 5,238 direct |
| Damage | $261 million (1959 USD) |
| Areas affected | Japan |
| Part of the 1959 Pacific typhoon season | |
Super Typhoon Vera (international designation: 5915) was the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history. With winds of 160 mph, Vera slammed into the southern coast of Japan, causing widespread damage and flooding, with over 5,000 dead. Typhoons in Japan are generally numbered each year (Typhoon Number 1, Typhoon Number 2, etc.), but because of its destructiveness, the Japan Meteorological Agency named this typhoon the Isewan Typhoon (伊勢湾台風, Isewan Taifū).
| Name | Number | Japanese name |
|---|---|---|
| Ida | T4518 | Makurazaki Typhoon (枕崎台風)[2][3] |
| 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) |
Meteorological history
Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
Unknown
Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depressionA low pressure area between Guam and Chuuk slowly organized into a tropical storm on September 21. Named Vera, it intensified into a typhoon the next day as it tracked northwestward. On the 23rd, Vera rapidly intensified, possibly reaching peak winds of 190 mph winds that day. The wind speed, which was measured by reconnaissance aircraft, are subject to dispute due to the unknown conversion factors. Regardless, the supertyphoon was very intense with a pressure of 896 mb.
Unlike most super typhoons, which weaken due to upwelling or other outside factors, Vera remained very strong, slowly weakening as it continued northward. Strong divergence aloft and continued warm water temperatures allowed Vera to remain the equivalent of a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. On September 26, Vera struck the coast along the Kansai region of Japan with winds of 160 mph. The storm weakened over the Archipelago while rapidly moving the northeast, and re-emerged into the northern Pacific Ocean on the 27th as a minimal typhoon. It continued to the east, and became extratropical on the 28th.
Impact
Vera will likely be recorded as one of Japan's worst natural disasters. Heavy storm surge combined with flooding, as well as extreme winds, caused the deaths of 4,580 people with 658 missing. Vast areas of crops were destroyed, sea walls ruined, roads and railways greatly damaged, and overflown rivers contributed to a damage estimate of $261 million (1959 USD, $1.67 billion in 2005 USD). Over 32,000 people were injured, and 1,596,855 people were left homeless. The combination of the death toll and the great number of people left homeless contributed to large outbreaks of dysentery, gangrene, tetanus and other epidemics.
See also
Sources
- ^ "気象庁が名称を定めた気象・地震・火山現象一覧" (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ "枕崎台風 昭和20年（1945年） ９月17日～９月18日". www.data.jma.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ "第三版,日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) - 枕崎台風(まくらざきたいふう)とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-08.