Typhoon Hope (1979)
Typhoon Hope at peak intensity on July 31 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | July 24, 1979 |
| Dissipated | August 8, 1979 |
| Violent typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 205 km/h (125 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 900 hPa (mbar); 26.58 inHg |
| Category 4-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 240 km/h (150 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 898 hPa (mbar); 26.52 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 112 total |
| Damage | Unknown |
| Areas affected | Guam, Philippines, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Nepal |
Part of the 1979 Pacific typhoon and North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons | |
Typhoon Hope, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Ising, was a powerful typhoon that killed over 100 people when it struck Hong Kong in 1979. The fifth typhoon and first super typhoon of the 1979 Pacific typhoon season, it formed as a tropical depression southeast of Guam on July 24. It headed to the west-northwest, but upper-level shear from the TUTT caused the depression to dissipate on the 27th. It turned northward then westward, where it regenerated on the 28th. Intensification became more steady, with the depression reaching storm strength on the 28th and typhoon strength on the 29th. On the 31st, Hope reached a peak of 150 mph winds, but land interaction with Taiwan to the north weakened the storm.
On August 2, Typhoon Hope struck southern China, only 10 miles east of Hong Kong. It weakened over the country while moving westward, but retained its satellite signature. Upon reaching the Bay of Bengal on the 7th, Hope restrengthened to a severe tropical storm, but moved over India and dissipated on the 8th. In Guangdong Province in China, the typhoon was responsible for around 100 deaths or missing people. Twelve people died along with 260 injured in Hong Kong. Typhoon Hope was the most intense typhoon to hit Hong Kong since Typhoon Rose of the 1971 season.