| Typhoon (JMA) | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 27, 1922 |
| Dissipated | August 3, 1922 |
| Highest winds | 10-minute sustained: 155 km/h (100 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | ≤ 932 mbar (hPa; 27.52 inHg) |
| Fatalities | 50,000–100,000+ |
| Areas affected | Northern Philippines, China |
| Part of the 1922 Pacific typhoon season | |
The 1922 Swatow Typhoon was a devastating tropical cyclone that caused thousands of deaths in the Chinese city of Swatow (now Shantou, both 汕頭) in August 1922. These totals make it one of the deadliest known typhoons in history.
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A tropical depression located near the Caroline Islands was first spotted July 27. It moved slowly to the northwest, gradually intensifying. On July 31, it crossed northern Luzon,[1] and entered the northernmost part of the South China Sea.[2] It then intensified more and made landfall on the Chinese coast near the city of Swatow late on August 2 or early on August 3.[1] It quickly dissipated inland.
The minimum known central pressure of this typhoon is 27.53 inHg.[3] At one point, the winds were estimated to have a velocity of 100 mph.[4]
| Rank | Typhoon | Season | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Haiphong" | 1881 | 300,000[5] |
| 2 | Nina | 1975 | 229,000[5] |
| 3 | July 1780 Typhoon | 1780 | 100,000[6] |
| 4 | "Swatow" | 1922 | 60,000[5] |
| 5 | "China" | 1912 | 50,000[5] |
| 6 | July 1862 Typhoon | 1862 | 40,000[6] |
| 7 | September 18681 Typhoon | 1881 | 20,000[6] |
| 8 | "Hong Kong" | 1937 | 10,000[5] |
| 9 | Thelma | 1991 | 6,000[5] |
| 10 | Vera | 1959 | 5,238[5] |
| Main article: list of notable tropical cyclones | |||
Due to the typhoon passing through a lightly inhabited part of the Philippines, no reports of significant impact were received.[3]
In Swatow in China, the typhoon caused a storm surge of at least 12 ft above normal.[4] The rain was heavy, and left enough water to leave the land saturated for a few days.[7] Swatow was an unfortunate city, as around 50,000 people (out of a population of about 65,000) perished in the storm.[1] Some nearby villages were totally destroyed.[8] Several ships near the coast were totally wrecked.[4] Other ones were blown as far as two miles inland.[8] The area around the city had around another 50,000 casualties.[4] The total death toll was above 60,000,[5] and may have been higher than 100,000.[4]
The 60,000–100,000+ deaths caused by this typhoon make it one of the deadlist tropical cyclones in the western north Pacific Ocean. The other typhoons with comparable death totals include an unnamed typhoon that hit Haiphong in 1881,[9] 1975's Typhoon Nina,[10] and another unnamed typhoon that hit somewhere in China in 1912.[5]
