Typhoon Elaine (1978)

Basin

Western Pacific

Dates

August 18, 1978 to August 29, 1978

Peak strength

Category 1, 65 kt (75 mph)

Lowest pressure

965 mb (28.50 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

4.2

Identifier

WP141978

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 NadineWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm60 kt · 970 mb
• Typhoon OliveWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 285 kt · 955 mb
• Tropical Storm PollyWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm50 kt · 985 mb
• Tropical Storm RoseWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm40 kt · 990 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm ShirleyWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm35 kt · 992 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Typhoon TrixWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 170 kt · 965 mb
• Typhoon VirginiaWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 170 kt · 975 mb
• Typhoon WendyWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 180 kt · 960 mb
• Tropical Storm AgnesWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm50 kt · 980 mb
• Tropical Storm Bess:BonnieWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm40 kt · 985 mb
• Tropical Depression BessWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Typhoon CarmenWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 180 kt · 960 mb
• Tropical Storm DellaWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm45 kt · 985 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression30 kt · 998 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Typhoon FayeWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 3105 kt · 935 mb
• Tropical Storm GloriaWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm40 kt · 992 mb
• Tropical Storm HesterWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm50 kt · 990 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Tropical Depression IrmaWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression1002 mb
• Typhoon JudyWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 290 kt · 950 mb
• Typhoon IrmaWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 165 kt · 970 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Tropical Storm KitWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm50 kt · 990 mb
• Typhoon LolaWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 175 kt · 965 mb
• Typhoon MamieWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 170 kt · 960 mb
• Tropical Storm NinaWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm60 kt · 975 mb
• Typhoon OraWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 285 kt · 940 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression30 kt
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression20 kt
• Typhoon PhyllisWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 295 kt · 955 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical stormWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm45 kt · 992 mb
• Tropical Storm TessWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm60 kt · 964 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Depression25 kt
• Typhoon ViolaWestern Pacific · 1978Cat 4125 kt · 910 mb
• Tropical Storm WinnieWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical Storm55 kt · 980 mb
• Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1978Tropical 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.