| 1981 Pacific typhoon season | |
|---|---|
 Season summary map | |
| Seasonal boundaries | |
| First system formed | February 14, 1981 |
| Last system dissipated | December 29, 1981 |
| Strongest storm | |
| Name | Elsie |
| • Maximum winds | 220 km/h (140 mph) (10-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure | 895 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics | |
| Total depressions | 52 |
| Total storms | 29 |
| Typhoons | 13 |
| Super typhoons | 2 (unofficial) |
| Total fatalities | >1,268 |
| Total damage | > $280.2 million (1981 USD) |
| Related articles | |
The 1981 Pacific typhoon season was a slightly above average season that produced 29 tropical storms, 13 typhoons and two intense typhoons. The season ran throughout 1981, though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October.[1] The season's first named storm, Freda, developed on March 12 while the final storm, Lee, dissipated on December 29. Tropical cyclones only accounted for 12 percent of the rainfall in Hong Kong this season, the lowest percentage for the protectorate since 1972.[2]
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean to the north of the equator between 100°E and 180th meridian. Within the northwestern Pacific Ocean, there are two separate agencies that assign names to tropical cyclones which can often result in a cyclone having two names. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) will name a tropical cyclone should it be judged to have 1-minute sustained wind speeds of at least 65 km/h (40 mph) anywhere in the basin, whilst the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in their area of responsibility located between 135°E and 115°E and between 5°N–25°N regardless of whether or not a tropical cyclone has already been given a name by the JTWC. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also monitors the whole basin and uses the 10-minute sustained wind scale. Moreover, the JTWC also assigns a number with a "W" suffix when a system has strengthened into a tropical depression.
- ^ Gary Padgett. May 2003 Tropical Cyclone Summary. Archived 2010-11-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2007-01-05.
- ^ Hong Kong Royal Observatory (1982). Meteorological Results 1981: Part III - Tropical Cyclone Summaries. Archived 2019-10-23 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved of 2008-11-10.