1948 Pacific typhoon season
The 1948 Pacific typhoon season was an average season. It had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1948, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between June and December. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1948 Pacific hurricane season. At the time, tropical storms that formed within this region of the western Pacific were identified and named by the United States Armed Services, and these names are taken from the list that USAS publicly adopted before the 1945 season started.
Season summary
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from:01/01/1948 till:01/02/1948 text:January
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Storms
Super Typhoon Karen
Typhoon Karen, one of the earliest recorded super typhoons, developed on January 11, well west of the Philippines. It curved westward while slowly intensifying. After a prolonged period of slow intensification, the tropical cyclone began to rapidly strengthen. It became a super typhoon on January 16. Shortly after, it weakened and dissipated on January 19.It struck Yap on January 14, damaging and destroying establishments and houses on the island. It also wrecked the roofs of some U.S. warehouses and buildings, and downed power lines. A food warehouse were washed out; however, some food supplies survived.
After the typhoon, the navy transported some relief supplies to the populated island. No deaths were reported.
Typhoon Lana
Typhoon Lana, the second system of the season, formed on May 16, west of the Philippines. It moved to the north-northeast while intensifying, reaching its peak intensity somewhere on May 18 and 19. It then weakened, until it was last noted on May 20 as it merged with a cold front.Warnings were issued for Yap, Palau, Guam and Ulithi in preparations for the storm. All ships in these islands were instructed to escape to Sangley Point due to the approaching typhoon.
A plane in Guam encountered the strength of the typhoon; however, it escaped its fury. Eighteen individuals were reported dead in Yap when their canoe sank during the storm. The damage, however, was minimal.
Typhoon Mabel
Mabel formed east of the Philippines as a tropical storm. It moved north-northeast and quickly strengthened into a Category 1 typhoon.Tropical Storm Nadine
Nadine formed on June 9 east of the Philippines. It traveled north and weakened into a tropical depression before dissipating on June 11.Tropical Storm Ophelia
Ophelia formed on June 10 in the South China Sea. It moved west and struck southern China. It dissipated the next day, without attaining maximum sustained winds any higher than.Typhoon Pearl
Pearl originated from a tropical depression located south of the Northern Mariana Islands on July 1. Developing into a tropical storm several hours later, further development occurred as Pearl tracked northwards, with it becoming a typhoon the next day. As a result, on July 4, Pearl peaked as a modern-day very strong typhoon with sustained winds of 90 knots Several days later, on July 6, Pearl made landfall 40 miles east of Shanghai, veering to the northwest. Weakening occurred after this landfall, and by the time Pearl struck what is now South Korea, it was a minimal tropical storm. A weakening Pearl tracked northwards before dissipating in Manchuria on July 8.As Pearl neared Shanghai, American officials took measures to safeguard their vessels in the harbor. Once Pearl struck near the city, dozens were injured due to the typhoon's high winds. Despite not experiencing the typhoon's peak winds, suburbs in Shanghai still saw some damage due to receiving winds up to 70 knots. Elsewhere, surge produced by Pearl killed ten people when their boat, which was off the coast of Luzon, capsized.