The 1971 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1971, 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 1971 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
Seasonal summary
According to the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the 1971 season was the most active season since 1967, with a total of 35 tropical storms being monitored by them during the year. In addition to the 35 tropical storms, the Japan Meteorological Agency considered Tropical Depression 25W to be an additional tropical storm, which was only classified as a tropical depression by the JTWC.
Systems
Severe Tropical Storm Sarah
During January 8, the JMA started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed, about to the east of Ngerulmud, Palau. Over the next day the system gradually developed further as it moved north-westwards, before it was classified as a tropical storm and named Sarah by the JTWC, after a US Navy plane had found an organised system. The system subsequently recurved north-eastwards, before it was classified as a Severe Tropical Storm by the JMA during January 10. During that day, the JTWC reported that the system had peaked, with 1-minute sustained wind-speeds of 95 km/h (60 mph). Over the next day, the system quickly weakened and became an extratropical cyclone during January 11. Sarah's extratropical remnants were subsequently tracked as they moved north-eastwards, until it made landfall on Canada and broke up over the mountains of British Columbia during January 17.
Tropical Storm Thelma (Bebeng)
On March 16, a tropical depression formed to the south of Guam. It immediately entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility, earning the local name Bebeng. It executed a small loop to the east of Mindanao before it traveled to the northwest. It exited the Area of Responsibility as a tropical storm before transitioning to an extratropical storm, southwest of Minami-Tori-shima. The extratropical storm weakened and dissipated on March 21, to the south-southeast of Japan.
Typhoon Vera (Karing)
Typhoon Wanda (Diding)
On April 23 Tropical Storm Wanda began its life to the east of the Philippines. It tracked over the archipelago, and emerged into the South China Sea on the 25th. It turned to the northwest, and became a typhoon on May 1 just off the coast of South Vietnam. The westerlies brought Wanda to the north and northeast, where it weakened until dissipating on the 4th near Hainan Island.
The storm caused 56 deaths (with 14 missing) and $700,000 in damage (1971 USD) from the heavy flooding across the Philippines. While Wanda brushed the coast of Vietnam, the United States Army grounded most aircraft in northern areas and skirmishes related to the Vietnam War temporarily decreased until the storm passed by. In Quảng Ngãi Province, 23 people were killed.
Typhoon Amy
According to the JTWC best track, Amy was first noted as a tropical depression early on April 29. Amy reached tropical storm status shortly afterwards, and became a typhoon by early on May 1. The cyclone then rapidly intensified into a Category 5 super typhoon with 1-minute sustained winds of 280 km/h (175 mph) on May 2, with the JMA estimating a minimum central pressure of 890 mb (hPa; 26.28 inHg), although the JTWC estimated a slightly higher pressure of 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg), while noting a compact eye 10 nautical miles across. Although Amy weakened to a Category 4 super typhoon on May 3, it regained Category 5 intensity later that day, with 1-minute sustained winds of 260 km/h (160 mph) and a central pressure of 900 mb (hPa; 26.58 inHg). The storm began to weaken by May 4 and was last noted as producing tropical-storm force winds on May 7, after which Amy was absorbed by a frontal system.