Super Typhoon Irma (1971)
Super Typhoon Irma reached Category 5 in the Western Pacific between November 7, 1971 and November 17, 1971, with a lowest pressure of 885 mb.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Super Typhoon Irma, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1971 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
- November 7, 1971 to November 17, 1971
- Peak strength
- Category 5, 155 kt (178 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 885 mb (26.13 inHg)
- Landfall
- No; closest approach 360 km (224 mi)
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 27.9
- Identifier
- WP341971
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 00:00 | 6.1N 140.9E | Tropical storm | ||
| Nov 7, 06:00 | 6.4N 141.4E | Tropical storm | ||
| Nov 7, 12:00 | 6.7N 142.2E | 1004 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Nov 7, 18:00 | 6.8N 142.6E | 1002 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Nov 8, 00:00 | 6.9N 142.6E | 30 kt | 1000 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 8, 06:00 | 7.3N 143.0E | 35 kt | 992 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 8, 12:00 | 7.4N 142.6E | 35 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 8, 18:00 | 7.8N 142.1E | 40 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 9, 00:00 | 8.2N 141.6E | 50 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 9, 06:00 | 7.9N 141.2E | 55 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 9, 12:00 | 8.6N 141.4E | 55 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 9, 18:00 | 9.4N 140.9E | 60 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 10, 00:00 | 10.1N 140.3E | 65 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 10, 06:00 | 11.2N 139.4E | 60 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 10, 12:00 | 12.3N 138.3E | 65 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 10, 18:00 | 13.1N 137.0E | 70 kt | 975 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 11, 00:00 | 13.8N 135.6E | 80 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 11, 06:00 | 14.4N 134.3E | 95 kt | 945 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 11, 12:00 | 15.1N 132.9E | 130 kt | 910 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 11, 18:00 | 16.0N 131.6E | 155 kt | 885 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 12, 00:00 | 16.9N 130.3E | 155 kt | 890 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 12, 06:00 | 17.9N 129.2E | 150 kt | 895 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 12, 12:00 | 18.8N 128.4E | 145 kt | 905 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 12, 18:00 | 19.4N 127.9E | 135 kt | 915 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 13, 00:00 | 20.1N 127.5E | 125 kt | 925 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 13, 06:00 | 20.8N 127.1E | 120 kt | 930 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 13, 12:00 | 21.6N 126.9E | 110 kt | 940 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 13, 18:00 | 22.3N 126.8E | 105 kt | 945 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 14, 00:00 | 23.2N 127.0E | 100 kt | 950 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 14, 06:00 | 24.2N 127.5E | 95 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 14, 12:00 | 25.4N 128.3E | 90 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 14, 18:00 | 26.4N 129.8E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 15, 00:00 | 27.6N 131.8E | 80 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 15, 06:00 | 29.1N 134.4E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 15, 12:00 | 30.7N 138.0E | 65 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| Nov 15, 18:00 | 31.5N 141.2E | 975 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Nov 16, 00:00 | 31.8N 145.6E | 980 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Nov 16, 06:00 | 32.0N 151.7E | 988 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Nov 16, 12:00 | 32.1N 157.2E | 994 mb | Extratropical | |
| Nov 16, 18:00 | 31.7N 162.4E | 1000 mb | Extratropical | |
| Nov 17, 00:00 | 31.6N 167.9E | 1000 mb | Extratropical | |
| Nov 17, 06:00 | 31.8N 174.9E | 1002 mb | Extratropical | |
| Nov 17, 12:00 | 33.0N 181.0E | Extratropical |
Other Western Pacific storms of 1971
- Tropical Depression SarahWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm SarahWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm ThelmaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Depression VeraWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon VeraWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon WandaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Super Typhoon AmyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm BabeWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm CarlaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon DinahWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm EmmaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon FredaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon GildaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon HarrietWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm IvyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm KimWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon JeanWestern Pacific · 1971
- Super Typhoon LucyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Super Typhoon NadineWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Depression LucyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon OliveWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm PollyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon RoseWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon ShirleyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon TrixWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon VirginiaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Super Typhoon WendyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon AgnesWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Super Typhoon BessWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm CarmenWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon DellaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon ElaineWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Depression Faye:GloriaWestern Pacific · 1971
- Typhoon HesterWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Storm JudyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Tropical Depression JudyWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1971
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.