1972 Pacific typhoon season
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The 1972 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1972, 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. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1972 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.
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[edit] Storms
33 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 31 became tropical storms. 22 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 2 reached super typhoon strength.
[edit] Typhoon Kit
A tropical disturbance generated by an upper tropospheric low in the mid-Pacific trough moved westward through the Caroline Islands, slowly organizing into Tropical Depression 1W on January 5. The depression quickly strengthened, reaching tropical storm status later that day and becoming a typhoon on the 6th as it neared the Philippines. Kit rapidly intensified on the 6th and 7th to a 140 mph typhoon, the strongest ever in January, but its inflow was cut off to the west, weakening the typhoon as it continued westward. Kit hit the eastern Philippines as a 100 mph typhoon on January 7, and turned north though the archipelago in response to a break in the subtropical ridge. This brought Kit eastward then southward, where after completing its large loop it dissipated on January 15, just 170 nautical miles from its starting location. Typhoon Kit brought torrential rains and flooding, causing 204 fatalities and nearly $23 million in damage (1972 USD).
[edit] Typhoon Ora
- Main article: Typhoon Ora (1972)
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| Ora satellite image and storm path | |
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Typhoon Ora, which formed on June 22, crossed the northern Philippines on the 24th and 25th as an 85 mph typhoon. It weakened over land, but restrengthened in the South China Sea to a 90 mph typhoon before hitting southern China on the 27th. Ora caused 131 casualties, with $15 million in damage (1972 USD). An unusual feature about Ora was while crossing the South China Sea, it never featured a wall cloud, even though it had winds of typhoon strength.
[edit] Typhoon Phyllis
Tropical Storm Phyllis, which formed on July 5, quickly intensified from late on the 9th to early on the 11th to a 140 mph typhoon. The typhoon turned to the northwest, steadily weakening as it approached Japan. Phyllis struck southeastern Japan on the 15th as a tropical storm, and became extratropical that night. Phyllis caused 3 deaths and moderate damage.
[edit] Super Typhoon Rita
The near-equatorial trough spawned four tropical cyclones on July 5, one of which would become Super Typhoon Rita. Having originated over the open Western Pacific, the depression tracked westward, becoming a tropical storm on the 7th and a typhoon on the 8th. Rita quickly intensified, reaching super typhoon strength on the 10th and a peak of 165 mph on the 11th. The typhoon stalled and weakened on the 12th and 13th as it headed to the northeast. On the 15th and 16th, Rita again stalled, weakening down to 75 mph. It then turned to the north, where it was able to become a Category 2 again. A building high pressure ridge forced the typhoon westward, where it executed a large loop from the 21st to the 25th. After looping and passing Okinawa, the typhoon continued to the northwest, passed by western South Korea, and weakened to a tropical storm on the 26th. Rita entered the Gulf of Chihli, hit northeastern China, and dissipated near Peking, China on the 27th. Rita directly caused 12 deaths, with 3 missing, and moderate to heavy damage on its path. In addition, Rita and Tropical Storm Susan's presence strengthened the southwest monsoon flow over Luzon, where torrential rains and disastrous flooding left 214 dead, with over $150 million in damage. Rita was the longest lasting Western Pacific tropical cyclone at the time.
[edit] Typhoon Tess
The same near-equatorial trough that developed Rita also developed Typhoon Tess. Tess, having developed on July 7 near the Marshall Islands, tracked westward, reaching typhoon status on the 12th. On the 13th and 14th as Tess turned to the northwest, it rapidly intensified to a 145 mph typhoon. Steadily weakening as it continued northwestward, Tess bent back to the west in response to the building of a high pressure cell over Japan. The Fujiwhara effect between Tess and Rita brought 75 mph Typhoon Tess into Japan on the 23rd. It continued northward, and merged with a front over extreme eastern Russia on the 25th. Tess caused strong flooding, which in turn killed 29 people.
[edit] Typhoon Helen
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- Main article: Typhoon Helen (1972)
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115 mph Typhoon Helen, which formed on September 12 over the open West Pacific, struck southern Japan on the 16th. Helen looped in the Sea of Japan, and became extratropical on the 19th. Helen's heavy flooding and landslides killed 64 people, with $102 million in damage (1972 USD).
[edit] Typhoon Therese
85 mph Typhoon Therese, having developed on November 30, struck the Philippines on December 3. After crossing the islands, the typhoon reached a peak of 120 mph winds in the South China Sea, a rare event for December. Therese's intensity fluctuated as it continued westward, and hit eastern Vietnam on the 9th as a 115 mph typhoon. Therese dissipated on the 12th, after causing 90 deaths and extensive damage on its path.
[edit] 1972 storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The first storm of 1972 was named Kit and the final one was named Violet.
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Two Central Pacific system developed, Tropical Storms June and Ruby. The policy at the time was to use Western Pacific names the Central Pacific.
