Typhoon Helen (1961)

Basin

Western Pacific

Dates

July 22, 1961 to August 7, 1961

Peak strength

Category 2, 90 kt (104 mph)

Lowest pressure

970 mb (28.64 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

9.8

Identifier

WP121961

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.

• Tropical Storm RitaWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm40 kt · 996 mb
• Tropical Storm SusanWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm40 kt
• Super Typhoon TessWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 4130 kt · 940 mb
• Tropical Storm ViolaWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm50 kt
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon AliceWestern Pacific · 1961 · 4 deathsCat 175 kt · 980 mb
• Super Typhoon BettyWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 4130 kt · 945 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon CoraWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 170 kt · 985 mb
• Tropical Storm DorisWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm45 kt · 986 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression996 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Tropical Depression DorisWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon ElsieWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 180 kt · 975 mb
• Tropical Storm FlossieWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm45 kt · 992 mb
• Tropical Storm GraceWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm40 kt
• Typhoon IdaWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 180 kt · 980 mb
• Typhoon JuneWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 295 kt · 960 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression1000 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon KathyWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 180 kt · 988 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon LornaWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 4120 kt · 950 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm MarieWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Storm50 kt · 996 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon OlgaWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 170 kt · 985 mb
• Super Typhoon PamelaWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 5155 kt · 910 mb
• Super Typhoon NancyWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 5185 kt · 890 mb
• Tropical Depression RubyWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression992 mb
• Typhoon SallyWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 170 kt · 980 mb
• Super Typhoon TildaWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 5140 kt · 925 mb
• Super Typhoon VioletWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 5180 kt · 895 mb
• Tropical Depression WildaWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression990 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Tropical Depression AnitaWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Typhoon BillieWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 170 kt · 970 mb
• Typhoon ClaraWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 175 kt · 985 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Super Typhoon DotWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 5140 kt · 930 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1961Tropical Depression
• Super Typhoon EllenWestern Pacific · 1961Cat 4130 kt · 945 mb

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.

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.