1988 Pacific typhoon season | |
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Seasonal boundaries | |
First system formed | January 7, 1988 |
Last system dissipated | December 27, 1988 |
Strongest storm | |
Name | Nelson |
• Maximum winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-minute sustained) |
• Lowest pressure | 915 hPa (mbar) |
Seasonal statistics | |
Total depressions | 52 official, 1 unofficial |
Total storms | 31 official, 1 unofficial |
Typhoons | 11 |
Super typhoons | 1 (unofficial) |
Total fatalities | >786 |
Total damage | ≥ $503.9 million (1988 USD) |
Related articles | |
The 1988 Pacific typhoon season was a very active season in terms of named storms, though it only featured 11 typhoons and 1 super typhoon. It had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1988, but most tropical cyclones formed between May and November.[1] Tropical storms that formed in the entire west Pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. 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.
A total of 26 tropical cyclones formed this year in the Western Pacific, of which all became tropical storms. Of the 26, 10 storms reached typhoon intensity, of which 1 reached supertyphoon strength. Nine tropical cyclones moved through the Philippines this season, making this season the most active for the archipelago so far this decade.