What the record says
Ruth was a typhoon in the Western North Pacific basin that lasted about 13 days, from 7 October 1951 to 20 October 1951. Its peak was Category 4 (120 kt) on 12 October 1951, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 120 kt (138 mph, 222 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 924 hPa.
- Category 4peak intensity
- 120 ktpeak wind (138 mph)
- 924 hPalowest pressure
- 13 dayslifetime
Source of the peak wind: US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific).
It has its own page because it reached category 4 or stronger.
This page gives the official record's figures. It does not describe the human cost of the storm, which is far larger than any wind speed or pressure here.
Where it came ashore
- 14 October 1951: Japan (70 kt)
A landfall here is the first tropical position over land after time at sea, so it is within about six hours of the real event. The record shows up to 8.
Countries it came within 50 km of
Strongest effect first.
How to read this track
The line joins the storm's six-hourly positions with straight lines, coloured by its intensity at each point, so it shows how the storm strengthened and weakened. The real path curved between the positions. A dashed grey stretch means the storm had become post-tropical. Records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are estimates.
Source: NOAA NCEI IBTrACS, public domain. See data sources and caveats.
Other notable storms of the 1951 Western North Pacific season
- Iris (1951)Category 5
- Georgia (1951)Category 4
- Louise (1951)Category 4
- Thelma (1951)Category 4
- Amy (1951)Category 4
- Kate (1951)Category 3
Other notable storms near Japan
- Nancy (1961)6 September 1961 to 20 September 1961, peak Category 5 (185 kt), 890 hPa
- Violet (1961)2 October 1961 to 11 October 1961, peak Category 5 (180 kt), 895 hPa
- Ida (1958)20 September 1958 to 29 September 1958, peak Category 5 (175 kt), 877 hPa
- Kit (1966)20 June 1966 to 3 July 1966, peak Category 5 (170 kt), 880 hPa
- Grace (1958)27 August 1958 to 9 September 1958, peak Category 5 (165 kt), 905 hPa