Typhoon Hester (1971)

Typhoon Hester (Goying)

Typhoon Hester intensifying over the South China Sea on October 22
Meteorological history
Formed	October 18, 1971
Dissipated	October 24, 1971
Typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Lowest pressure	970 hPa (mbar); 28.64 inHg
Category 2-equivalent typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC)
Highest winds	165 km/h (105 mph)
Lowest pressure	967 hPa (mbar); 28.56 inHg
Overall effects
Fatalities	119 total
Missing	2
Damage	≥$3.6 million (1971 USD)
Areas affected	Philippines, North Vietnam, South Vietnam Laos
IBTrACS
Part of the 1971 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Hester of October 1971 was regarded as one of the most destructive storms to strike Vietnam since 1944.^[1] Developing as a tropical depression on October 18 near Palau, Hester gradually intensified as it moved westward towards the Philippines. Across the Philippines, Hester was responsible for six deaths and ₱5 million in damage. After passing over Mindanao and the Visayas as a tropical storm between October 20 and 21, the storm intensified into a typhoon before striking Palawan. Once over the South China Sea, Hester further strengthened and ultimately attained peak winds of 165 km/h (105 mph). On October 23, the storm made landfall near Huế, South Vietnam. Once onshore, Hester rapidly weakened and dissipated on October 24 over Laos.

The most significant impact from Typhoon Hester was felt in South Vietnam, where winds in excess of 155 km/h (95 mph) caused extensive damage to several United States Army bases. The hardest hit base was in Chu Lai where three Americans were killed. At least 75 percent of the structures in the base sustained damage and 123 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Newspaper reports indicated that 100 Vietnamese lost their lives due to the storm, including 33 following a plane crash near Quy Nhơn. In the wake of the storm, the South Vietnamese government provided the hardest hit areas with relief funds and supplies.