1937 Great Hong Kong typhoon

1937 Great Hong Kong Typhoon
Category 3 (Saffir–Simpson scale)

Surface weather analysis of the typhoon on 1 September
Formed August 28, 1937 (1937-08-28)
Dissipated September 4, 1937 (1937-09-04)
Highest winds 1-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph)
Lowest pressure 958 hPa (mbar); 28.29 inHg
Fatalities 11,021
Areas affected
Part of the 1937 Pacific typhoon season

The 1937 Great Hong Kong Typhoon was an unnamed typhoon in Hong Kong on 2 September 1937. It was one of the worst typhoons in Hong Kong history killing 11,000 people.[1] In Macau, 21 people died by this typhoon.[2]

History

Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm according to the IBTrACS.

Victoria Harbour at the time was the seventh busiest in the world.[3] It was always busy with sampans, junks, ferries, cargo ships, ocean liners, yacht]]s and warships. The typhoon wind was so strong that observatory instruments capable of registering winds up to 125 mph broke down.[4] Hong Kong Observatory have since recorded the wind with a mean hourly wind average of 59 knots, 68 mph, 109 km/h, a 10-minute mean Wind of 74knots, 85 mph, 137 km/h. The maximum gust was at 130 knots, 149 mph, 240 km/h.[5] The piston of the anemometer hit the stops at 130 knots (240 km/h) and the true maximum gust could not be recorded.[5] The typhoon was so powerful that it caused a 9.1 meter tidal wave that swept through the villages of Taipo and Shatin. The villages suffered massive damage and many fatalities [6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Strzepek, Kenneth M., Smith, Joel B. [1995] (1995). As Climate Changes: International Impacts and Implications. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-46796-9.
  2. ↑ "MACAO TYPHOON DAMAGE. MANY LIVES LOST ON SHORE. FISHING FLEETS SUFFER". The Hongkong Telegraph (page 4). 4 September 1937.
  3. ↑ needs reference
  4. ↑ Time magazine. "Time magazine 1937 account." Hong Kong Typhoon: Monday, Sep. 13, 1937. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  5. 1 2 HK weather gov. "Typhoon Wanda 27 August to 2 September 1962." Typhoon Wanda and other winds. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  6. ↑ http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1930s/HongKong/

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Hong Kong Typhoon of 1937.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.