1934 Muroto typhoon
| Typhoon (JMA scale) | |
|---|---|
Surface weather analysis of the typhoon near Japan on September 21
|
|
| Formed | September 13, 1934 |
| Dissipated | September 25, 1934 |
| (Extratropical after September 21) | |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 150 km/h (90 mph) Gusts: 235 km/h (145 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 911.9 hPa (mbar); 26.93 inHg (Record lowest for landfalling storm in mainland Japan) |
| Fatalities | 3,066 total |
| Damage | At least $300 million (1934 USD) |
| Areas affected | Japan, Alaska |
| Part of the 1934 Pacific typhoon season | |
In September 1934, a violent typhoon caused tremendous devastation in Japan, leaving more than 3,000 people dead in its wake. Dubbed the Muroto typhoon (室戸台風 Muroto Taifū?), the system was first identified on September 13 over the western Federated States of Micronesia. Moving generally northwest, it eventually brushed the Ryukyu Islands on September 20. Turning northeast, the typhoon accelerated and struck Shikoku and southern Honshu the following morning. It made landfalls in Muroto, Kaifu, Awaji Island, and Kobe. A pressure of 911.9 hPa (26.93 inHg) was observed in Muroto, making the typhoon the strongest ever recorded to impact Japan at the time. This value was also the lowest land-based pressure reading in the world on record at the time; however, it was surpassed the following year during the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. After clearing Japan, the now extratropical storm traveled east and weakened. Turning north by September 24, the system deepened and impacted the Aleutian Islands; it was last noted the following day over western Alaska.
Regarded as the "second-greatest catastrophe of modern Japan", the storm left parts of Osaka in ruins. Tens of thousands of structures were damaged or destroyed, leaving approximately 200,000 people homeless. Among the 3,066 people killed were 421 children and teachers who perished when their flimsy schools were destroyed. This ranked it, at the time, as the deadliest typhoon in Japanese history. In addition to the fatalities, 13,184 people were injured. Total damage exceeded $300 million (1934 USD).
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