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Typhoon Babe (1977)

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This article is about the Pacific typhoon of 1977; for other storms of the same name, see Tropical Storm Babe.
Typhoon Babe
Violent typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 4 super typhoon (SSHWS)
Typhoon Babe at peak intensity
FormedSeptember 2, 1977
DissipatedSeptember 10, 1977
Highest winds10-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph)
1-minute sustained: 240 km/h (150 mph)
Lowest pressure905 hPa (mbar); 26.72 inHg
Fatalities17 direct
Areas affectedJapan, East China Sea, China
Part of the 1977 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Babe (international designation: 7709, JTWC designation: Super Typhoon 10W) was the strongest typhoon of the 1977 Pacific typhoon season and caused major damage in the Ryūkyū Islands, Japan. The lowest pressure recorded in association with the typhoon was 907.3hPa on Okinoerabu Island. According to newspaper reports, Babe was "the worst typhoon to threaten Japan in 18 years". Japan Meteorological Agency gave a special name to Babe: Okinoerabu Typhoon (沖永良部台風, Okinoerabu Taifū). Unusually, a Hurricane Babe existed in the Atlantic basin at the same time.

Meteorological history

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
triangle Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

On September 1, a weak surface circulation with associated convection occurred at 7N-150E and a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert was issued by the JTWC. On September 2, Tropical Depression 10 formed near the Caroline Islands at 8.3N-144.6E and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Babe at 8.9N-141.5E on the same day: a latitude of the formation of Babe was lower than that of Tropical Storm Ivan in the Atlantic Basin: it formed at 9.7N-30.3W on September 3, 2004.

At first, Babe did not show any significant development while it moved westward: the subtropical ridge between the trough and it forced it northward. Babe was forecast to continue to move westward and made a landfall in the central Philippines. But when the subtropical ridge began to weaken on September 5, Babe changed direction to the north-northwest and began to strengthen rapidly. Babe became a typhoon on September 6 and was upgraded to super typhoon on September 8. Babe was the only super typhoon of the 1977 Pacific typhoon season.

Until September 8, Babe was forecast to continue to move north-northwest and hit Taiwan. But a short wave occurred in the northern China Sea and Babe turned to the north-northeast, so avoiding Taiwan. Instead, Japan was threatened.

Babe hit Okinoerabu Island, Japan on September 9. The minimum sea-level pressure on Japanese soil of 907.3hPa was recorded. The previous record of 908.1hPa at Miyakojima on September 15, was attributed to Typhoon Sarah ("Miyakojima Typhoon"). An anemometer was broken by Babe's strong wind and meteorological staff could not continue to measure the wind.

In Japan, Babe was forecast to make a landfall at Kyūshū. But a Fujiwhara effect with the cut-off low occurred and Babe turned to the northwest. Babe eventually made a landfall as a minimal typhoon at Shanghai, China on September 10 and dissipated soon after.

Significant typhoons with special names[1]
(from the Japan Meteorological Agency)
Name Number Japanese name
Ida T4518 Makurazaki Typhoon (枕崎台風)[2][3]
Louise T4523 Akune Typhoon (阿久根台風)
Marie T5415 Tōya Maru Typhoon (洞爺丸台風)
Ida T5822 Kanogawa Typhoon (狩野川台風)
Sarah T5914 Miyakojima Typhoon (宮古島台風)
Vera T5915 Isewan Typhoon (伊勢湾台風)
Nancy T6118 2nd Muroto Typhoon (第2室戸台風)
Cora T6618 2nd Miyakojima Typhoon (第2宮古島台風)
Della T6816 3rd Miyakojima Typhoon (第3宮古島台風)
Babe T7709 Okinoerabu Typhoon (沖永良部台風)
Faxai T1915 Reiwa 1 Bōsō Peninsula Typhoon (令和元年房総半島台風)
Hagibis T1919 Reiwa 1 East Japan Typhoon (令和元年東日本台風)


Impact

Over one hundred people were injured and about half the houses on Okinoerabu Island were destroyed by Babe. Babe's unusual path affected many ships: 16 people were killed and about 100 Japanese fishing vessels were damaged in the East China Sea.

Naming

The Japan Meteorological Agency gave a special name to Babe: "Okinoerabu Typhoon" on September 13 after it struck Okinoerabu Island. Babe was the last typhoon to be so named.

See also

Template:Tcportal

  1. ^ "気象庁が名称を定めた気象・地震・火山現象一覧" (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. ^ "枕崎台風 昭和20年（1945年） ９月17日～９月18日". www.data.jma.go.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  3. ^ "第三版,日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ) - 枕崎台風(まくらざきたいふう)とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-08.
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