Super Typhoon Ruth (1962)
Super Typhoon Ruth reached Category 5 in the Western Pacific between August 12, 1962 and August 25, 1962, with a lowest pressure of 915 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Super Typhoon Ruth, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1962 season in the same basin behind it, and its wind and pressure hour by hour. Every fix is in the track table below.
The storm
- Basin
- Western Pacific
- Dates
- August 12, 1962 to August 25, 1962
- Peak strength
- Category 5, 160 kt (184 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 915 mb (27.02 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 141 km (88 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 38.0
- Identifier
- WP121962
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 00:00 | 10.5N 151.2E | 1010 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 12, 06:00 | 11.0N 150.7E | 1008 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 12, 12:00 | 11.6N 150.0E | 1008 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 12, 18:00 | 12.0N 149.4E | 1006 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 13, 00:00 | 12.6N 148.8E | 1006 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 13, 06:00 | 13.2N 148.1E | 1006 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 13, 12:00 | 13.6N 147.5E | 1005 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Aug 13, 18:00 | 14.2N 147.0E | 50 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 14, 00:00 | 14.5N 146.3E | 55 kt | 1004 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 14, 06:00 | 15.2N 146.0E | 60 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 14, 12:00 | 16.0N 146.0E | 60 kt | 998 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 14, 18:00 | 16.8N 146.0E | 70 kt | 995 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 15, 00:00 | 17.5N 146.0E | 75 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 15, 06:00 | 18.4N 146.0E | 90 kt | 978 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 15, 12:00 | 19.6N 145.9E | 110 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 15, 18:00 | 20.6N 145.8E | 130 kt | 950 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 00:00 | 21.4N 145.6E | 140 kt | 925 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 06:00 | 22.3N 145.3E | 150 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 12:00 | 23.3N 145.0E | 150 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 18:00 | 24.4N 144.7E | 160 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 00:00 | 25.8N 144.2E | 160 kt | 920 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 06:00 | 27.1N 143.6E | 150 kt | 925 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 12:00 | 28.4N 142.8E | 130 kt | 930 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 18:00 | 29.6N 141.8E | 110 kt | 940 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 00:00 | 30.4N 141.3E | 100 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 06:00 | 30.9N 141.0E | 95 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 12:00 | 31.3N 140.8E | 90 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 18:00 | 31.8N 140.7E | 90 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 00:00 | 32.2N 140.7E | 90 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 06:00 | 32.6N 140.8E | 90 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 12:00 | 32.8N 140.9E | 90 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 18:00 | 33.2N 141.0E | 90 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 00:00 | 33.6N 141.3E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 06:00 | 34.2N 141.7E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 12:00 | 35.0N 142.3E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 18:00 | 35.8N 143.0E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 00:00 | 36.5N 143.9E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 06:00 | 37.2N 145.0E | 75 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 12:00 | 37.8N 146.2E | 75 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 18:00 | 38.6N 148.0E | 70 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 00:00 | 39.4N 150.4E | 70 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 06:00 | 40.1N 153.3E | 60 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 12:00 | 40.7N 156.6E | 60 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 18:00 | 41.3N 160.8E | 55 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 23, 00:00 | 42.5N 166.8E | 50 kt | 975 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 23, 06:00 | 42.7N 169.0E | 50 kt | 984 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 23, 12:00 | 42.5N 172.4E | 50 kt | 990 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 23, 18:00 | 42.8N 175.0E | 45 kt | 990 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 24, 00:00 | 43.0N 178.0E | 40 kt | 992 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 24, 06:00 | 44.0N 179.0E | 50 kt | 994 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 24, 12:00 | 47.0N 179.0W | 35 kt | 994 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 24, 18:00 | 48.5N 177.0W | 45 kt | 994 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 25, 00:00 | 53.0N 178.0E | 45 kt | 986 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 25, 06:00 | 55.0N 180.0E | 986 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 25, 12:00 | 56.0N 180.0E | 986 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 25, 18:00 | 57.8N 184.0E | Extratropical |
Other Western Pacific storms of 1962
- Tropical Storm FranWestern Pacific · 1962
- Super Typhoon GeorgiaWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon HopeWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm IrisWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon JoanWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon KateWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon LouiseWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon NoraWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm MargeWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Super Typhoon OpalWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon PatsyWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon SarahWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon ThelmaWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon VeraWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon WandaWestern Pacific · 1962 · 183 deaths
- Super Typhoon AmyWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm Babe:BabsWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon Carla:ClaraWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon DinahWestern Pacific · 1962
- Super Typhoon EmmaWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon FredaWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon GildaWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm HarrietWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon IvyWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon JeanWestern Pacific · 1962
- Super Typhoon KarenWestern Pacific · 1962
- Typhoon LucyWestern Pacific · 1962
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm MaryWestern Pacific · 1962
- Tropical Storm NadineWestern Pacific · 1962
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.