Typhoon Babe (1977)

Typhoon Babe (Miling)

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 4 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Typhoon Babe at peak intensity on September 8
Formed	September 2, 1977
Dissipated	September 12, 1977
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 205 km/h (125 mph) 1-minute sustained: 240 km/h (150 mph)
Lowest pressure	905 hPa (mbar); 26.72 inHg
Fatalities	23 total, 3 missing
Damage	$23 million (1977 USD)
Areas affected	Japan, East China Sea, China
Part of the 1977 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Babe, also known as the Okinoerabu Typhoon (沖永良部台風, Okinoerabu Taifū^?), was regarded as "the worst typhoon to threaten Japan in 18 years." Developing as a tropical depression on September 2, Babe initially tracked west-northwestward as it intensified. On September 5, an abrupt shift in steering currents caused the system to turn north-northwestward. Early on September 6, the system intensified into a typhoon. Over the following two days, Babe quickly intensified, ultimately attaining its peak intensity early on September 8 with winds of 240 km/h (150 mph) and a barometric pressure of 905 mbar (hPa; 26.72 inHg). Not long after reaching this strength, another shift in the steering patterns caused the typhoon to execute a prolonged counter-clockwise arc, causing it to track through the Ryukyu Islands southwest of Japan, as it interacted with a low pressure originating from the Korean Peninsula. During this time, the system gradually weakened and eventually it made landfall near Shanghai, China on September 11 as a minimal typhoon before dissipating inland the following day. Coincidentally, Typhoon Babe and Atlantic Hurricane Babe existed at the same time from September 3–9.

Passing through the Ryukyu Islands as a powerful typhoon, Babe caused considerable damage in the region. More than 1,000 homes were destroyed and nearly 7,000 more were damaged or flooded. One person was killed on Amami Ōshima and 77 others were injured throughout the country. Total losses reached ¥6.1 billion (US$23 million). Offshore, over 100 vessels were affected by the storm, including a Panamanian freighter where 13 people lost their lives. In China, more than 24,000 homes were destroyed and nine people were killed.

In late August 1977, an area of disturbed weather was noted south of Pohnpei. By September 1, a weak surface low accompanied by organized convection developed within the disturbance. Situated to the south of a Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough, conditions were favorable for further organization and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for the system. Tracking steadily west-northwestward in response to a well-developed subtropical ridge extending from the International Dateline to China, the system was soon classified a tropical depression early on September 2. Hours later, a weather reconnaissance mission into the depression revealed winds of 75 km/h (45 mph), prompting the JTWC to designate the system as Tropical Storm Babe. Due to the cyclone's proximity to the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration also monitored the storm and assigned it with the local name Miling.