1940 Pacific typhoon season

The 1940 Pacific typhoon season marked an interruption in meteorological records in both the Philippines and Hong Kong due to the start of World War II. There were 43 reported tropical cyclones, including 27 that attained typhoon status. The first storm was observed in February, and the first typhoon formed two months later, killing three people along Mindanao. Several storms formed in June and July, including reports of a typhoon in the newspapers that killed 52 in South Korea, and another typhoon reported in newspapers that killed one person on Samar after dropping heavy rainfall. The strongest typhoon of the season originated in July and attained a minimum pressure of 927 mbar (27.4 inHg), as reported by a ship northeast of the Philippines.

On August 18, a typhoon moved near or over northeastern Luzon, killing nine people. In early September, a typhoon passed through the Bonin Islands south of Japan and later moved near Kyushu; heavy rainfall caused a reservoir to collapse in Ōita Prefecture, killing 50 people. On September 18, a typhoon caused a tram collision in Tokyo due to poor visibility, killing 20. Another typhoon struck southern Taiwan on September 29, causing 50 fatalities. On October 19, Wake Island recorded typhoon-force winds for the first time since observations began five years prior. A strong typhoon passed near Guam on November 3 with winds of 200 km/h (125 mph), damaging most of the buildings on the island and killing five. Three storms affected the Philippines in December, the second of which was the most notable; it killed 63 people and left 75,000 homeless on Catanduanes. The third of the Philippine storms dissipated on December 24, ending activity for the season. There was another December typhoon that killed two people on a ship to the northeast of Guam.