Typhoon Wanda (1962)
This TIROS weather satellite image of Typhoon Wanda was taken on August 30, 1962 at 0023 UTC | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 27, 1962 |
| Dissipated | September 1, 1962 |
| Typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Lowest pressure | 960 hPa (mbar); 28.35 inHg |
| Category 2-equivalent typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 175 km/h (110 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 949 hPa (mbar); 28.02 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 434 |
| Areas affected | British Hong Kong, Portuguese Macau and China |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1962 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon Wanda was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record in Hong Kong. It was the 59th disturbance in the record-breaking 1962 Pacific typhoon season, forming in August east of the Philippines. Typhoon Wanda reached peak winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) in the South China Sea, and it made landfall on Hong Kong on September 1, producing gusts of 261 km/h (161 mph) which, in combination with a high storm surge, damaged thousands of huts and left 72,000 people homeless. Wanda left a total of 434 deaths, and it is estimated that an identical typhoon striking today would cause HK$2.6 billion ($335 million USD) in losses.