Hurricane History Map

1972 Western North Pacific season

36 storms formed in the Western North Pacific basin in 1972, from 4 January 1972 to 21 December 1972.

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Years1972
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.

The 1972 season in numbers

The record holds 36 storms for the 1972 Western North Pacific season, of which 29 had names.29 reached tropical storm strength (34 knots or more), 21 reached typhoon strength (category 1 or more) and 13 were major (category 3 or more). 5 have no wind speed in the record.

  • 36storms
  • 29tropical storm strength or more
  • 21typhoon strength or more
  • 13major (category 3 to 5)
  • 400accumulated cyclone energy

Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the squared wind speed of every position of 34 knots or more, divided by 10,000. It is approximate here because the winds are 1-minute equivalents, and it is mostly useful for comparing seasons of one basin.

Strongest storms of 1972

  • Rita (1972)5 July 1972 to 30 July 1972, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 910 hPa
  • Betty (1972)8 August 1972 to 20 August 1972, peak Category 4 (135 kt), 910 hPa
  • Tess (1972)7 July 1972 to 25 July 1972, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 940 hPa
  • Kit (1972)4 January 1972 to 15 January 1972, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 940 hPa
  • Phyllis (1972)4 July 1972 to 22 July 1972, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 945 hPa

All 36 storms of 1972

StormPeak
Kit Category 4
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Lola Category 3
Nina Tropical storm
Mamie Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Ora Category 1
Phyllis Category 4
Rita Category 5
Susan Category 1
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Tess Category 4
Viola Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Winnie Tropical storm
Alice Category 2
Betty Category 4
Cora Category 1
Doris Tropical storm
Elsie Category 1
Unnamed storm Unknown intensity
Flossie Category 1
Helen Category 3
Grace Tropical storm
Unnamed storm Tropical depression
Ida Category 3
Lorna Category 1
Kathy Tropical storm
Marie Category 4
Nancy Category 3
Olga Category 3
Pamela Category 3
Therese Category 3
Sally Category 1
Violet Tropical storm

← 1971 · 1973 → · All seasons

Other basins in 1972

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