Super Typhoon Betty (1961)
Super Typhoon Betty reached Category 4 in the Western Pacific between May 21, 1961 and June 4, 1961, with a lowest pressure of 945 mb, and made landfall.
Radar
Reflectivity now over Super Typhoon Betty. Open it to see storms, cones and warnings on the map.
Radar mosaic and map layers from NOAA MRMS. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
The storm
- Basin
- Western Pacific
- Dates
- May 21, 1961 to June 4, 1961
- Peak strength
- Category 4, 130 kt (150 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 945 mb (27.91 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 19.8
- Identifier
- WP061961
Deaths and damage
No source this site reads publishes a machine-readable casualty or damage figure for a storm of this era. The National Hurricane Center’s season tables begin in 1995 and carry deaths and damage only from 2005 in the Atlantic and 2020 in both basins; the US Storm Events record begins in 1996.
Track
| Time (UTC) | Position | Wind | Pressure | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 00:00 | 9.0N 135.0E | 1006 mb | Tropical storm | |
| May 21, 06:00 | 9.2N 135.0E | 1004 mb | Tropical storm | |
| May 21, 12:00 | 9.6N 134.9E | 1004 mb | Tropical storm | |
| May 21, 18:00 | 10.0N 134.7E | 1004 mb | Tropical storm | |
| May 22, 00:00 | 10.2N 134.0E | 1004 mb | Tropical storm | |
| May 22, 06:00 | 10.7N 133.5E | 60 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 22, 12:00 | 11.2N 133.2E | 60 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 22, 18:00 | 11.8N 132.8E | 65 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 23, 00:00 | 12.2N 132.2E | 70 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 23, 06:00 | 12.7N 131.0E | 70 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 23, 12:00 | 13.2N 129.6E | 70 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 23, 18:00 | 13.9N 128.3E | 80 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 24, 00:00 | 14.7N 127.5E | 90 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 24, 06:00 | 15.2N 126.8E | 100 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 24, 12:00 | 15.7N 126.0E | 110 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 24, 18:00 | 16.4N 125.1E | 110 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 25, 00:00 | 17.2N 124.3E | 120 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 25, 06:00 | 18.1N 123.6E | 120 kt | 950 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 25, 12:00 | 19.1N 122.9E | 130 kt | 945 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 25, 18:00 | 19.9N 122.2E | 130 kt | 945 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 26, 00:00 | 20.7N 121.8E | 120 kt | 947 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 26, 06:00 | 21.3N 121.5E | 115 kt | 950 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 26, 12:00 | 22.5N 121.5E | 100 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 26, 18:00 | 23.5N 121.4E | 75 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 27, 00:00 | 25.3N 120.9E | 55 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 27, 06:00 | 26.6N 121.0E | 55 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 27, 12:00 | 28.2N 121.3E | 55 kt | 990 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 27, 18:00 | 30.4N 121.8E | 55 kt | 995 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 28, 00:00 | 32.5N 122.9E | 50 kt | 996 mb | Tropical storm |
| May 28, 06:00 | 33.8N 125.5E | 40 kt | 994 mb | Mixed |
| May 28, 12:00 | 35.4N 129.0E | 35 kt | 988 mb | Mixed |
| May 28, 18:00 | 39.4N 134.1E | 982 mb | Mixed | |
| May 29, 00:00 | 41.0N 137.0E | 980 mb | Mixed | |
| May 29, 06:00 | 42.5N 139.6E | 978 mb | Mixed | |
| May 29, 12:00 | 43.8N 142.3E | 980 mb | Mixed | |
| May 29, 18:00 | 45.5N 147.0E | 976 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 30, 00:00 | 47.0N 150.0E | 978 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 30, 06:00 | 48.3N 151.8E | 980 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 30, 12:00 | 49.0N 153.0E | 980 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 30, 18:00 | 49.5N 153.3E | 982 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 31, 00:00 | 50.0N 154.0E | 980 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 31, 06:00 | 51.0N 155.0E | 984 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 31, 12:00 | 50.8N 158.2E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| May 31, 18:00 | 52.0N 162.0E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 1, 00:00 | 53.5N 165.0E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 1, 06:00 | 54.7N 168.0E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 1, 12:00 | 55.0N 171.0E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 1, 18:00 | 55.1N 172.2E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 2, 00:00 | 55.2N 173.4E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 2, 06:00 | 55.4N 174.3E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 2, 12:00 | 55.6N 175.2E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 2, 18:00 | 55.8N 176.1E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 3, 00:00 | 56.0N 177.0E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 3, 06:00 | 56.2N 178.0E | 992 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 3, 12:00 | 56.5N 178.8E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 3, 18:00 | 56.7N 179.5E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 4, 00:00 | 57.0N 180.0E | 990 mb | Extratropical | |
| Jun 4, 06:00 | 57.3N 180.2E | Extratropical |
Other Western Pacific storms of 1961
- Tropical Storm RitaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm SusanWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon TessWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm ViolaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon AliceWestern Pacific · 1961 · 4 deaths
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon CoraWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm DorisWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Depression DorisWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon ElsieWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm FlossieWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm GraceWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon HelenWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon IdaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon JuneWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon KathyWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon LornaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Storm MarieWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon OlgaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon PamelaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon NancyWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Depression RubyWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon SallyWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon TildaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon VioletWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Depression WildaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Tropical Depression AnitaWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon BillieWestern Pacific · 1961
- Typhoon ClaraWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon DotWestern Pacific · 1961
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961
- Super Typhoon EllenWestern Pacific · 1961
What this means
A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.
Sources
Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.