The 1973 Pacific typhoon season, in comparison to the two years preceding it, was a below average season, with only 21 named storms and 12 typhoons forming. However, it featured Typhoon Nora, which ties Typhoon June of 1975 for the second strongest typhoon on record. It has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1973, 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 1973 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.
Season summary
Systems
25 tropical depressions formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which 21 became tropical storms. 12 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 3 reached super typhoon strength.[1]
Tropical Storm Wilda formed as a disturbance east of the Philippines. It traveled northwest and became a tropical depression as it made landfall on Luzon on June 30. It crossed the island, and became a tropical storm as it entered the South China Sea on 1 July. It traveled north and made landfall in southern China on the 3rd. The remnants of Wilda dissipated inland a few days later.
Tropical Storm Billie, which developed on July 12 east of the Philippines, rapidly strengthened on the 14th and 15th to a 150 mph super typhoon. It tracked due north, fluctuating in intensity for the next 3 days. A building ridge over the Sea of Japan forced Billie to the northwest, where it weakened greatly, first to a tropical storm on the 18th, then to a tropical depression on the 19th as it passed over northeastern China. The storm dissipated on the 20th.
Typhoon Ellen formed as a disturbance on July 16 in the vicinity of Okinotorishima,[a] from a trough in the convergence zone trailing to the southeast of Typhoon Billie the day before.[4] Its circulation closed up by 17 July,[4] and at 0900 JST (0000 UTC) on the following day, the JMA upgraded it to a tropical storm.[5] Due to its sluggish, erratic movements, Shikoku and Kyushu received heavy rains between July 23 and July 26. This contributed to the above-average monthly precipitation for July 1973 in southern Shikoku and eastern Kyushu, when the rest of Japan was suffering from droughts.[6]
Hainan, Qionghai Jiaji town recorded a minimum central pressure of 937.8 hPa when Marge made landfall. Marge killed 903 people in Hainan.
Marge made its final landfall in Tam Diep Mountains (border of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces) Vietnam in late September 14, 1973; brought heavay rainfall and flooding in North Vietnam.[7][8]
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression east of the Philippines on October 1. Under weak steering currents, it meandered westward, where favorable conditions allowed for it to strengthen, first to a tropical storm on the 2nd, then to a typhoon on the 3rd. Nora continued to the northwest, and explosively deepened on the 5th and 6th to a 185 mph super typhoon. At the time, it had a minimum central pressure of 875 millibars, the lowest pressure on record at the time and currently tied for 9th. The typhoon weakened as it headed to the northwest, and struck northeastern Luzon on the 7th as a 115 mph typhoon. Nora continued to the northwest, weakening to a minimal typhoon as it hit southeast China on the 10th. The typhoon caused 18 fatalities, with over $2 million in damage.
27 people were killed when Typhoon Ruth crossed Luzon on October 15 and caused $5 million in damage. Ruth continued to the northwest, and hit Hainan Island and Quang Ninh, Vietnam on the 19th, respectively.
One of the strongest tropical cyclones to hit Visayas when it entered on November 20, although the system didn't reach typhoon status. Tropical Storm Openg affected around 3.4 million people.[9]
Storm names
Western North Pacific tropical cyclones were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The first storm of 1973 was named Wilda and the final one was named Vera.
Agnes
Bess
Carmen
Della
Elaine
Faye
Gloria
Hester
Irma
Judy
Kit
Lola
Mamie
Nina
Ora
Phyllis
Rita
Susan
Tess
Viola
Winnie
Alice
Betty
Cora
Doris
Elsie
Flossie
Grace
Helen
Ida
June
Kathy
Lorna
Marie
Nancy
Olga
Pamela
Ruby
Sally
Therese
Violet
Wilda 1W
Anita 2W
Billie 4W
Clara 3W
Dot 5W
Ellen 6W
Fran 7W
Georgia 8W
Hope 9W
Iris 10W
Joan 12W
Kate 13W
Louise 15W
Marge 16W
Nora 17W
Opal 18W
Patsy 19W
Ruth 20W
Sarah 21W
Thelma 22W
Vera 23W
Wanda
Amy
Babe
Carla
Dinah
Emma
Freda
Gilda
Harriet
Ivy
Jean
Kim
Lucy
Mary
Nadine
Olive
Polly
Rose
Shirley
Trix
Virginia
Wendy
Philippines
Atring
Bining
Kuring
Daling
Elang
Goring
Huling
Ibiang
Luming
Miling
Narsing
Openg
Pining (unused)
Rubing (unused)
Saling (unused)
Tasing (unused)
Unding (unused)
Walding (unused)
Yeyeng (unused)
Auxiliary list
Anding (unused)
Binang (unused)
Kadiang (unused)
Dinang (unused)
Epang (unused)
Gundang (unused)
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones in their area of responsibility. PAGASA assigns names to tropical depressions that form within their area of responsibility and any tropical cyclone that might move into their area of responsibility. Should the list of names for a given year prove to be insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first 10 of which are published each year before the season starts. This is the same list used for the 1969 season. PAGASA uses its own naming scheme that starts in the Filipino alphabet, with names of Filipino female names ending with "ng" (A, B, K, D, etc.).
Season effects
This table will list all the storms that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line and north of the equator during 1973. It will include their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, missing persons (in parentheses), and damage totals. Classification and intensity values will be based on estimations conducted by the JMA, however due to lack of information around this time sustained winds were recorded by the JTWC. All damage figures will be in 1973 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm will include when the storm was a precursor wave or an extratropical low.
