Great_Hong_Kong_Typhoon_of_1937

1937 Hong Kong typhoon

1937 Hong Kong typhoon

Pacific typhoon in 1937

The 1937 Great Hong Kong Typhoon was one of the deadliest typhoons in Hong Kong history. The territory suffered at least 11,000 fatalities,[1] while nearby Macau lost 21 people.[2]

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Background

Victoria Harbour at the time was the seventh busiest in the world.[citation needed] 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]

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) was established in 1883, and a year later, the agency warned the public of an approaching typhoon using a gun. The system was replaced with bomb detonations, beginning in 1907. A decade later, the HKO introduced a numbered warning system to the public, with no. 1 as standby. The highest rating, no. 10, meant the potential for typhoon conditions, or maximum sustained winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph).[4]

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
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

Meteorological history

Map plotting the track of the typhoon

The origins of the typhoon were from a storm located 320 km (200 mi) south of Guam on August 24. The September 1937 issue of the Monthly Weather Review described that "there was little evidence of its potentialities", as the storm moved west-northwestward across the western Pacific Ocean. On August 28, the USS Ramapo encountered the storm, observing an barometric pressure of 1003 mbar (29.61 inHg), and sustained winds of 61 km/h (38 mph). The observations suggested that the storm passed just south of the ship, although the intensity of the system was unknown at that point. Around August 30, the storm turned more to the northwest, causing it to remain north and east of majority of the Philippines. On September 1, it went through the Balintang Channel, passing 48 km (30 mi) south of Basco, Batanes. A station there recorded a pressure of 986 mbar (29.102 inHg), as well as a force 12 on the Beaufort scale, indicating hurricane-force winds. Thereafter, the typhoon entered the South China Sea, passing just north of Pratas Island, where a pressure of 993 mbar (29.327 inHg) was recorded.[5][6]

As the typhoon moved across the northern portion of the South China Sea, it intensified rapidly as it moved toward the southern Chinese mainland. On September 2 around 21:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC[nb 1] the typhoon made landfall near Hong Kong. The lowest pressure recorded in the British colony was 958 mbar (28.298 inHg). The typhoon's exact intensity was unknown, as its squalls of winds surpassed the capacity of the anemometer, which was greater than 201 km/h (125 mph).[5][6] The observations suggested that the typhoon struck with winds equivalent to a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, or sustained winds of at least 180 km/h (112 mph).[7] The typhoon continued inland and weakened, dissipating northwest of Macau on September 3.[5][6]

Preparations and impacts

Damaged train tracks in Hong Kong

Late on August 31, the HKO, then known as Royal Observatory Hong Kong, issued warning signal no. 1, or standby. On the next day, the warning signal was raised to no. 5, which meant that gale force winds were expected for the territory. The HKO upgraded the warning further to no. 10, meaning that typhoon-force winds were expected, at 17:58 UTC on September 1 (1:58 a.m. September 2 local time). Twelve minutes later, officials fired typhoon bombs to warn the public.[5] This marked the last occasion that typhoon bombs were used.[4] The no. 10 warning signal was issued overnight, and less than two hours before the typhoon made its closest approach.[5]

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.[8] The piston of the anemometer hit the stops at 130 knots (240 km/h) and the true maximum gust could not be recorded.[8] 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.[9]

The powerful typhoon killed thousands of people in Hong Kong, with an estimated death toll of around 13,000 people.[7]

See also

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    Dates and times are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) unless otherwise stated.

References

  1. [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. [2]
    "MACAO TYPHOON DAMAGE. MANY LIVES LOST ON SHORE. FISHING FLEETS SUFFER". The Hongkong Telegraph (page 4). 4 September 1937.
  3. [3]
    Time magazine. "Time magazine 1937 account." Hong Kong Typhoon: Monday, Sep. 13, 1937. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
  4. [4]
    W.H. Lui, T.C. Lee and C.M. Shun (January 2018). Evolution of the Tropical Cyclone Warning Systems in Hong Kong since 1884 (PDF) (Report). Technical Report No. 109. Hong Kong Observatory. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  5. [5]
    Reverend Bernard F. Doucette. "Typhoons and Depressions over the Far East, September 1937" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. 65 (9). Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  6. [6]
    "1937 Not Named (1937240N13136)". International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  7. [7]
    Guangqing Huang; Wyss Yim (2007). "Reconstruction of an 8,000-Year Record of Typhoons in the Pearl River Estuary, China" (PDF). Environmental Science. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  8. [8]
    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.
  9. [9]
    "Hurricanes: Science and Society: 1937– Great Hong Kong Typhoon".
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