On October 26, a tropical cyclone formed east of the Philippines, having a minimum pressure of 1,006hPa (29.7inHg).[1] Early the next day, the Fleet Weather Center (FWC) began tracking the cyclone, which had intensified into a tropical storm, naming it Pamela.[2] The JMA followed suit the next day, noting that it had intensified into a tropical storm[3] and deepened to have a minimum pressure of 998hPa (29.5inHg).[1] Intensifying further, on October 30, both the FWC and JMA noted that Pamela had rapidly intensified into a typhoon.[2][4]
Soon after, Pamela began intensifying again, having 1-minute sustained winds of 100mph (155km/h) early early on October 31, being a Category 2-equivalent hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale.[2] At 12:00 UTC that same day, Pamela would intensify into a super typhoon according to the FWC,[2] attaining a minimum pressure of 960hPa (28inHg).[1] Soon after, it peaked with sustained winds of 175mph (280km/h),[2] later peaking with a minimum pressure of 900hPa (27inHg) early the next day.[1] However, soon after, it began steadily weakening, with its pressures rising steadily.[1]
Despite that, on November 5, Pamela re-intensified into a super typhoon over the South China Sea,[2] becoming the first of only four super typhoons in the area—the others were Yagi in 2024, Rammasun in 2014, and Rai in 2021.[5] The next day, Pamela made landfall in China as a minimal typhoon. As a result, early on September 7, Pamela weakened into a tropical storm,[2] prior to the JMA last tracking the typhoon a few hours later.[1] The FWC kept tracking it until it had weakened into a tropical depression early the next day.[2]
The 4 only Category 5 Super Typhoons recorded in the South China Sea
Preparations and impact
All of Hong Kong's cross harbour ferry services and some tram services were suspended prior to the typhoon.[6] The SS Chusan, which was loading cargo in Victoria Harbour, had to leave it as Pamela approached.[7] In Hong Kong, baby was killed by a loosened rock and three fisherman died after their boat capsized. Additionally, an electrician was indirectly killed while repairing an electrical line broken during the typhoon.[8] In total, five deaths[9] and thirteen injuries were recorded in the island.[10] Both Quarry Bay and North Point received a storm surge of 1.16m (3.8ft).[11][12]
In Haiphong, all of the Task Force 90 ships, vessels which were involved in Operation Passage to Freedom, had to evade the typhoon until November 7.[13] Alongside the southern coast of China, Pamela sunk around 1,100 fishing boats, causing it to be the "worst disaster to the fishing people of South China in a century".[14] The USS Muskingum, a cargo ship which at the time was 130mi (210km) southwest of Taiwan, was caught in the typhoon. As a result, the British steamer HMS Birmingham, a Norwegian motor ship Hoi Houw, and a ship off the coast of Luzon began searching for it.[15] A man fell off the USS Helena and had to be saved by a lifeboat crew.[16] Elsewhere, the moorings of the SS Gujarat were torn. Two Hong Kong fishing trawlers, which had a crew of 14 and 12 respectively, went missing due to rough seas produced by Pamela.[6]
↑ "Man overboard". USS Helena (CA-75). Retrieved September 10, 2024.
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