1937 Hong Kong typhoon

The 1937 Great Hong Kong Typhoon was an unnamed typhoon in Hong Kong on 2 September 1937. It was one of the deadliest typhoons in Hong Kong history killing 11,000 people.[1] In Macau, 21 people died by this typhoon.[2]

1937 Great Hong Kong Typhoon
Surface weather analysis of the typhoon on 1 September
Meteorological history
Formed28 August 1937 (1937-08-28)
Dissipated4 September 1937 (1937-09-04)
Typhoon
Lowest pressure958 hPa (mbar); 28.29 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities11,021
Areas affected
IBTrACS
Part of the 1937 Pacific typhoon season

History
Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm according to the IBTrACS.

Victoria Harbour at the time was the seventh busiest in the world. It was always busy with sampans, junks, ferries, cargo ships, ocean liners, yachts and warships. The typhoon wind was so strong that observatory instruments capable of registering winds up to 125 mph broke down.[3] Royal Observatory Hong Kong have since recorded the wind with a mean hourly wind average of 59 knots, 68 mph, 109 km/h, a 10-minute mean Wind of 74 knots, 85 mph, 137 km/h. The maximum gust was at 130 knots, 149 mph, 240 km/h.[4] The piston of the anemometer hit the stops at 130 knots (240 km/h) and the true maximum gust could not be recorded.[4] The typhoon was so powerful that it caused a 9.1 m (30 ft) tidal wave that swept through the villages of Taipo and Shatin. The villages suffered massive damage and many fatalities.[5]

The hurricane signal, equivalent to the hurricane signal number 10 in modern days in Hong Kong SAR, was hoisted a few hours prior to its closet approach at 15 km to the south-southwest of Hong Kong.

Other storms that hoisted the hurricane signal prior to 1946 include:

  • 1884 Super typhoon – 11 September – 57kts – 106km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • 1894 typhoon – 5 October – 54kts – 101km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • 1896 Super typhoon – 29 to 30 July – 69kts – 128km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • 1900 Geng-Zi typhoon disaster – 10 November – 61kts – 113km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The strongest November typhoon to date, surpassing all typhoons in October.
  • 1906 Super Typhoon – Small but compact – 18 September – 50kts – 92km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The typhoon appears to be comparable to Typhoon Hope
  • 1908 Typhoon – The storm was over Cheung Chau – 28 July – 52kts – 96km/h.
  • 1923 Super Typhoon – The storm was over Aberdeen, Hong Kong Island at approximately 6 miles to the South of the Royal Observatory – 18 August – 67kts – 124km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The typhoon appears to be comparable to Typhoon Hope
  • 1927 Severe Typhoon – 20 August – 53kts – 99km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • 1929 Typhoon – 22 August – 57kts – 106km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The typhoon appears to be comparable to Typhoon York
  • 1931 Super Typhoon – 1 August – 60kts – 112km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
  • 1936 Super Typhoon – 17 August – 62kts – 115km/h max sustained hourly winds at the Royal Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

See also

References
  1. Strzepek, Kenneth M., Smith, Joel B. [1995] (1995). As Climate Changes: International Impacts and Implications. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-46796-9.
  2. "MACAO TYPHOON DAMAGE. MANY LIVES LOST ON SHORE. FISHING FLEETS SUFFER". The Hongkong Telegraph (page 4). 4 September 1937.
  3. Time magazine. "Time magazine 1937 account." Hong Kong Typhoon: Monday, Sep. 13, 1937. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  4. HK weather gov. "Typhoon Wanda 27 August to 2 September 1962 Archived 31 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine." Typhoon Wanda and other winds. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  5. "Hurricanes: Science and Society: 1937– Great Hong Kong Typhoon".
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