Super Typhoon Bess (1971)

Basin

Western Pacific

Dates

September 15, 1971 to September 26, 1971

Peak strength

Category 5, 140 kt (161 mph)

Lowest pressure

905 mb (26.72 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

28.4

Identifier

WP271971

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 Depression SarahWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression1000 mb
• Tropical Storm SarahWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm50 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm ThelmaWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm45 kt · 994 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Tropical Depression VeraWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression1002 mb
• Typhoon VeraWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 290 kt · 965 mb
• Typhoon WandaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 175 kt · 980 mb
• Super Typhoon AmyWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 5150 kt · 890 mb
• Tropical Storm BabeWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm55 kt · 990 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm CarlaWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm50 kt · 995 mb
• Typhoon DinahWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 290 kt · 960 mb
• Tropical Storm EmmaWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm35 kt · 1000 mb
• Typhoon FredaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 175 kt · 980 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon GildaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 290 kt · 975 mb
• Typhoon HarrietWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 4125 kt · 925 mb
• Tropical Storm IvyWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm60 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm KimWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm50 kt · 980 mb
• Typhoon JeanWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 285 kt · 975 mb
• Super Typhoon LucyWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 4130 kt · 910 mb
• Super Typhoon NadineWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 5150 kt · 900 mb
• Tropical Depression LucyWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon OliveWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 285 kt · 935 mb
• Tropical Storm PollyWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm40 kt · 980 mb
• Typhoon RoseWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 4120 kt · 960 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon ShirleyWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 290 kt · 955 mb
• Typhoon TrixWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 3100 kt · 915 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression30 kt · 988 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon VirginiaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 3100 kt · 955 mb
• Super Typhoon WendyWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 5140 kt · 915 mb
• Typhoon AgnesWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 175 kt · 975 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression25 kt
• Tropical Storm CarmenWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm50 kt · 990 mb
• Typhoon DellaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 170 kt · 980 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon ElaineWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 3100 kt · 965 mb
• Typhoon Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 165 kt · 985 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression992 mb
• Typhoon Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 165 kt
• Tropical Depression Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Typhoon HesterWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 290 kt · 970 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Super Typhoon IrmaWestern Pacific · 1971Cat 5155 kt · 885 mb
• Tropical Storm JudyWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Storm45 kt · 1000 mb
• Tropical Depression JudyWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971Tropical Depression

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.