1978 Pacific typhoon season

1978 Pacific typhoon season
Season summary map
Seasonal boundaries
First system formedJanuary 6, 1978
Last system dissipatedDecember 19, 1978
Strongest storm
NameRita
 • Maximum winds220 km/h (140 mph)
(10-minute sustained)
 • Lowest pressure880 hPa (mbar)
Seasonal statistics
Total depressions63
Total storms30
Typhoons16
Super typhoons1 (unofficial)
Total fatalities>371
Total damage> $100 million (1978 USD)
Related articles
Pacific typhoon seasons
1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980

The 1978 Pacific typhoon season was a very active season that produced 31 tropical storms, 16 typhoons and one intense typhoon. It ran year-round in 1978, 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. Tropical storms that formed in the basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center while systems that were active in the Philippine area of responsibility were assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). This often results in the same storm having two names.