The 1945 Pacific typhoon season was the first official season to be included in the West Pacific typhoon database. It was also the first season to name storms. It has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1945, 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 1945 Pacific hurricane season. Predecessor agency to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Fleet Weather Center/Typhoon Tracking Center was established on the island of Guam in June 1945, after multiple typhoons, including Typhoon Cobra in the previous season and Typhoon Connie in this season, had caused a significant loss of men and ships. It would not take major responsibility in the West Pacific basin until 1950 season. Instead, storms in this season are identified and named by the United States Armed Services, and these names are taken from the list that USAS publicly adopted before this season had started earlier this year. Since this is the first season to be included in the West Pacific typhoon database, this would also be the first season where the names of Western Pacific tropical cyclones are preserved publicly.
Systems
Tropical Storm Ann
The first named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Ann formed on April 19 at relatively low latitude of 9.5°N. Ann generally tracked westward and later reached its peak intensity on April 21, before weakening to a tropical depression on April 23. The storm began to curve north the next day, and overall did not affect any landmasses and dissipated on April 26.
Tropical Storm Betty
The second named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Betty formed on May 13, 1945, and began to move in a northeastern direction. It strengthened into a tropical storm only 18 hours later and continued on its path. However, the storm eventually moved further north, and into colder waters. Betty weakened into a tropical depression and dissipated on May 16, having not threatened land at all.
Typhoon Connie
A small yet powerful typhoon, Connie was first spotted on June 1 by the Fleet Weather Center on Guam, moving northeast. Winds were reported to have been as high as 230 km/h (140 mph). But by June 7, it began to weaken. Its final fate is unknown.
The United States Navy's Third Fleet was hit by Connie, which is also referred to as Typhoon Viper. The same fleet had previously been hit, with great loss of life, by Cobra the previous year. Connie was not as powerful as Cobra, but the fleet was still damaged by the storm, with six men killed or lost overboard and four seriously hurt. The ships USS Hornet, USS Bennington, USS Windham Bay, USS Salamaua, USS Pittsburgh, USS Baltimore, and USS Duluth suffered major damage and 26 vessels suffered minor damage. 76 planes were destroyed and 70 suffered damage. The damage sustained during Cobra and Connie led to improvements in design such as faster pumping arrangement for fuel and ballast tanks, better protection from the elements for electrical panels, and an effort to make ships less top heavy. They also sped up the development of storm forecasting and led to the development of hurricane hunters.
Tropical Storm Doris
Tropical Storm Doris existed from June 18 to 21 and did not make landfall.
Tropical Storm Nancy
Tropical Storm Nancy formed on July 3 to the east of Vietnam. It started to move in a northeast direction before shifting its course to the northwest until it eventually made landfall near Hong Kong as a tropical storm. It rapidly weakened over land and dissipated on June 8. The damage is unknown.
Typhoon Opal
Opal existed from July 14 to July 22.
Tropical Storm Peggy
Peggy existed from July 22 to July 23.
Tropical Storm Edna
Edna existed from July 27 to July 29.
Typhoon Eva
Eva existed from July 30 to August 4.
Typhoon Queenie
Typhoon Queenie was a storm that formed over the northeastern part of the Philippines on August 5, 1945, and dissipated on August 9, 1945. It had 1-minute sustained winds of 140 km/h (90 mph) and a pressure reading of 976 mb. Queenie formed close to the Philippines and made its way over the northern part, eventually making its way back to the sea where is later dissipated. Damages and fatalities are unknown.
Tropical Storm Frances
Frances existed from August 9 to August 13.
Tropical Storm Grace
Grace existed from August 15 to August 22.
Typhoon Ruth
Ruth existed from August 22 to August 28.
Typhoon Susan
Susan existed from August 23 to August 28.
Typhoon Tess
Tess existed from August 23 to August 25.
Typhoon Helen
Typhoon Helen formed on August 29. It moved west-northwest and strengthened into a category 3 typhoon with 190 km/h (120 mph) winds. It weakened slightly to a category two and struck Taiwan. It was briefly over water before it hit Mainland China as a tropical storm. It rapidly weakened and dissipated on September 4.
Typhoon Ursula
This typhoon is especially remembered for the six aircraft containing liberated prisoners of war brought down by the typhoon between Okinawa and Manila. Over 120 servicemen lost their lives. At the time, it was the single greatest loss of life in an aviation disaster during peacetime.
Typhoon Ida
In Japan, Typhoon Ida is called Makurazaki Typhoon. It was the strongest typhoon to hit Kyushu on record, with a minimum sea-level pressure of 916.1 hPa (27.05 inHg) observed on the land and a maximum wind gust of 62.7 metres per second (140 mph), which was recorded at a weather station in Makurazaki. More than 2,000 people were killed in the Hiroshima Prefecture after heavy rains brought by a weakening Ida caused severe landslides.
Tropical Storm Verna
Verna existed from September 20 to September 22.
Tropical Storm Wanda
Wanda existed from September 21 to September 24.
Typhoon Jean
On 30 September the storm was located between the Philippines and Okinawa with winds between 210 and 260 kilometres per hour (130 and 160 mph) and waves up to 30 metres (100 ft).
On October 1, a United States Air Force PB4Y-2 aircraft went down during a flight into the typhoon, killing all seven crew members aboard.
Tropical Storm Kate
Kate existed from September 28 to October 6.
Typhoon Louise
Louise was first seen developing on October 2, 1945, in the Caroline Islands. It unexpectedly veered north and slowed down, only to intensify as it passed over Okinawa on October 9 with 140 km/h (90 mph) wind gusts and a minimum central pressure of 968.5 mbar. Shortly after, Louise began to weaken, and hit Japan as a strong tropical storm. The tropical cyclone became extratropical shortly after on October 12. In Okinawa, 36 people died, 47 people were reported missing, and 100 people were seriously injured.
In Buckner Bay, where the United States military were occupying a temporary base, 9.1 to 10.7 m (30 to 35 ft) waves were reported to have crashed ashore, tearing into Quonset huts and other buildings. At the time, Buckner Bay was being used as a port by the United States military. Fifteen merchant ships were driven ashore, with a few wrecked. Three United States Navy destroyers were grounded and declared beyond salvage. Over 200 other US military vessels, including six tank landing ships, a number of special purpose boats, patrol boats, and amphibious landing craft were grounded, severely damaged, or wrecked beyond repair. Eighty percent of the buildings in the bay were completely wiped out, while all 60 aircraft at the local airports were damaged.
Tropical Storm Marge
A tropical storm was tracked on November 1 to the northwest of the Marianas. It moved to the west, before making landfall on Tayabas (now Quezon) in the Philippines. It was last noted on November 4 over modern-day Aurora Province. The damage is unknown.
Tropical Storm Yvonne
Yvonne existed from November 14 to November 17.
Typhoon Nora
Typhoon Nora formed on November 22, 1945, and began to move towards the Philippines. It became a typhoon and a category 1 equivalent storm on the SSHWS scale. The slow-moving storm moved towards the Philippines, but it turned northeast at the last moment, moving over colder waters and dissipating.