Hurricane History Map

Scarborough Shoal storm history

114 storms have passed within 50 km of Scarborough Shoal from 1889 to 2022, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Scarborough Shoal

The record holds 114 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Scarborough Shoal between 1889 and 2022. The busiest month is October, with 28 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 3 strength. 50 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 114storms within 50 km
  • 2major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 14at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Scarborough Shoal?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression2320%
Tropical storm2724%
Category 187%
Category 244%
Category 322%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity5044%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific).

Scarborough Shoal storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 17 in 1970s.1880s1900s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s

The 2020s only run to 2022, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1889, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1880s1
1890s6
1900s11
1910s5
1920s5
1930s6
1940s4
1950s5
1960s12
1970s17
1980s9
1990s6
2000s12
2010s9
2020s6

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 28 in Oct.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May7Jun11Jul17Aug10Sep20Oct28Nov19Dec2
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May7
Jun11
Jul17
Aug10
Sep20
Oct28
Nov19
Dec2

Strongest storms near Scarborough Shoal

  • Xangsane (2006)25 September 2006 to 2 October 2006, Category 3 (105 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 940 hPa
  • Kate (1970)13 October 1970 to 26 October 1970, Category 3 (100 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 940 hPa
  • Winnie (1964)24 June 1964 to 4 July 1964, Category 2 (90 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 968 hPa
  • Chan-Hom (2009)2 May 2009 to 13 May 2009, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 975 hPa
  • Gilda (1971)22 June 1971 to 29 June 1971, peak Category 2 (90 kt), 975 hPa
  • Nari (2013)8 October 2013 to 16 October 2013, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 965 hPa

Most recent storms near Scarborough Shoal

  • Nalgae (2022)26 October 2022 to 3 November 2022, Tropical storm (50 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (75 kt), 975 hPa
  • Conson (2021)5 September 2021 to 13 September 2021, peak Tropical storm (60 kt), 992 hPa
  • Vamco (2020)8 November 2020 to 16 November 2020, Category 1 (75 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 955 hPa
  • Goni (2020)25 October 2020 to 6 November 2020, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (170 kt), 905 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of October 2020 (Western North Pacific)14 October 2020 to 16 October 2020, peak Unknown intensity

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Scarborough Shoal ranks number 30 among countries and territories for the number of storms.

Notable storms near Scarborough Shoal with their own pages

  • Xangsane (2006)25 September 2006 to 2 October 2006, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 940 hPa
  • Kate (1970)13 October 1970 to 26 October 1970, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 940 hPa
  • Winnie (1964)24 June 1964 to 4 July 1964, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 968 hPa
  • Nari (2013)8 October 2013 to 16 October 2013, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 965 hPa
  • Chebi (2006)7 November 2006 to 15 November 2006, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 925 hPa
  • Rammasun (2014)9 July 2014 to 20 July 2014, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 935 hPa
  • Vamco (2020)8 November 2020 to 16 November 2020, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 955 hPa
  • Cathy (1947)28 October 1947 to 4 November 1947, peak Category 3 (100 kt)
  • Patsy (1970)13 November 1970 to 22 November 1970, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 910 hPa
  • Irma (1974)20 November 1974 to 3 December 1974, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 940 hPa
  • Elaine (1971)1 October 1971 to 10 October 1971, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 965 hPa
  • Conson (2004)4 June 2004 to 14 June 2004, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 960 hPa

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