Typhoon Rita (1978)

Super Typhoon Rita (Kading)

Typhoon (JMA scale)
Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Super Typhoon Rita near peak intensity
Formed	October 17, 1978
Dissipated	October 29, 1978
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 220 km/h (140 mph) 1-minute sustained: 280 km/h (175 mph)
Lowest pressure	878 hPa (mbar); 25.93 inHg
Fatalities	300+ total, 354 missing
Damage	$100 million (1978 USD)
Areas affected	Guam, Philippines, Vietnam
Part of the 1978 Pacific typhoon season

Super Typhoon Rita, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Kading, was the most powerful tropical cyclone during the 1978 Pacific typhoon season and one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record. A long-lived and destructive tropical cyclone, Rita began its journey east of the Marshall Islands and rapidly moved westwards, becoming a typhoon on October 20. Rita continued rapid intensification and attained super typhoon status and later an atmospheric pressure of 878 mbar (25.9 inHg) on October 25. Rita struck the Philippines overnight on October 26 and entered the South China Sea as a minimal typhoon. Rita caused extreme damage and more than 300 deaths.

The origins of Rita formed east of the Marshall Islands near the International Date Line on October 17. It intensified gradually while moving westwards and became a typhoon on October 20, about 500 mi (800 km) south-southwest of Wake Island. Rita continued rapid intensification and became a super typhoon.

At 6:22 A.M., a reconnaissance aircraft reported a minimum pressure reading of 888 mbar (26.2 inHg) and maximum surface winds of 130 knots (150 mph). Rita continued to move westwards and late in the evening, Rita passed 60 mi (97 km) of Guam, where heavy damages to banana plantations were reported. Rita continued moving rapadly westwards towards Luzon at a speed of 23 knots (26 mph). Rita's central pressure fell to a minimum of 878 mbar (25.9 inHg) when it was about 650 mi (1,050 km) east of Manila at noon on October 25. Satellite pictures received later in the afternoon revealed a distinct eye and good cirrus outflow associated with the circulation of Rita. During the following night, Rita made landfall over Luzon, causing disastrous damage and leaving 200,000 homeless. Baler, located on the east coast of Luzon, reported gusts of 50 knots (58 mph) when the storm passed just to the south of it. Infanta, located 60 miles (97 km) south of Baler, reported a minimum sea-level pressure of 971.5 mbar (28.69 inHg).