Typhoon Thad (1981)
Typhoon Thad reached Category 2 in the Western Pacific between August 15, 1981 and August 25, 1981, with a lowest pressure of 955 mb, and made landfall.
Track and intensity
The whole track of Typhoon Thad, colored by strength, with the other storms of the 1981 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 15, 1981 to August 25, 1981
- Peak strength
- Category 2, 85 kt (98 mph)
- Lowest pressure
- 955 mb (28.20 inHg)
- Landfall
- Yes
- Accumulated cyclone energy
- 14.1
- Fastest the center moved
- 45 kt (52 mph)
- Identifier
- WP151981
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 15, 00:00 | 17.7N 128.9E | Disturbance | ||
| Aug 15, 06:00 | 17.9N 129.6E | Disturbance | ||
| Aug 15, 12:00 | 18.1N 130.2E | 1000 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 15, 18:00 | 18.2N 130.9E | 998 mb | Mixed | |
| Aug 16, 00:00 | 18.7N 131.6E | 996 mb | Tropical storm | |
| Aug 16, 06:00 | 19.1N 131.6E | 35 kt | 994 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 12:00 | 19.6N 131.8E | 35 kt | 992 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 16, 18:00 | 20.0N 131.9E | 40 kt | 992 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 00:00 | 20.3N 132.2E | 40 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 06:00 | 20.2N 132.8E | 45 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 12:00 | 20.4N 133.1E | 50 kt | 985 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 17, 18:00 | 20.9N 133.2E | 55 kt | 980 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 00:00 | 21.5N 133.2E | 65 kt | 975 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 06:00 | 22.4N 133.3E | 70 kt | 970 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 12:00 | 23.0N 133.5E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 18, 18:00 | 23.8N 133.8E | 80 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 00:00 | 24.2N 134.0E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 06:00 | 24.7N 134.3E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 12:00 | 25.1N 134.5E | 85 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 19, 18:00 | 25.6N 134.8E | 85 kt | 955 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 00:00 | 25.8N 135.2E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 06:00 | 26.2N 135.7E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 12:00 | 26.5N 136.0E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 20, 18:00 | 27.2N 136.3E | 80 kt | 960 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 00:00 | 27.8N 136.8E | 80 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 06:00 | 28.6N 137.2E | 80 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 12:00 | 29.1N 137.4E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 21, 18:00 | 29.6N 137.5E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 00:00 | 30.2N 137.5E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 06:00 | 31.0N 137.9E | 75 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 12:00 | 32.4N 138.3E | 70 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 22, 18:00 | 34.7N 139.6E | 70 kt | 965 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 23, 00:00 | 37.6N 140.3E | 60 kt | 964 mb | Tropical storm |
| Aug 23, 06:00 | 41.9N 140.8E | 50 kt | 964 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 23, 12:00 | 46.8N 141.5E | 45 kt | 970 mb | Mixed |
| Aug 23, 18:00 | 49.3N 140.7E | 40 kt | 974 mb | Extratropical |
| Aug 24, 00:00 | 50.8N 141.3E | 984 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 24, 06:00 | 52.8N 140.5E | 984 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 24, 12:00 | 55.0N 140.2E | 984 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 24, 18:00 | 56.0N 140.0E | 988 mb | Extratropical | |
| Aug 25, 00:00 | 56.0N 138.0E | 990 mb | Extratropical |
Other Western Pacific storms of 1981
- Typhoon FredaWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm GeraldWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Depression GeraldWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm HollyWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon IkeWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon JuneWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon KellyWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm LynnWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm MauryWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm NinaWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon OgdenWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm PhyllisWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical stormWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm RoyWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm SusanWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm WarrenWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm VanessaWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon AgnesWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon BillWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon ClaraWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon DoyleWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1981
- Super Typhoon ElsieWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1981
- Tropical Storm FabianWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon GayWestern Pacific · 1981
- Unnamed tropical depressionWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon HazenWestern Pacific · 1981
- Super Typhoon IrmaWestern Pacific · 1981 · 595 deaths
- Tropical Storm JeffWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon KitWestern Pacific · 1981
- Typhoon LeeWestern Pacific · 1981
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.