Typhoon Pamela (1954)

Typhoon Pamela

Pamela at its peak intensity over the South China Sea on September 2
Meteorological history
Formed	October 26, 1954
Dissipated	November 7, 1954
Typhoon
10-minute sustained (JMA)
Lowest pressure	900 hPa (mbar); 26.58 inHg
Category 5-equivalent super typhoon
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/FWC)
Highest winds	280 km/h (175 mph)
Overall effects
Fatalities	6
Injuries	13
Missing	26
Areas affected	Philippines (primarily Luzon), Hong Kong, Macau, South China
Part of the 1954 Pacific typhoon season

Typhoon Pamela was an intense and destructive typhoon which affected the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, and South China during October and November 1954.

On October 26, a tropical cyclone formed east of the Philippines, having a minimum pressure of 1,006 hPa (29.7 inHg).^[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 998 hPa (29.5 inHg).^[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 100 mph (155 km/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 960 hPa (28 inHg).^[1] Soon after, it peaked with sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h),^[2] later peaking with a minimum pressure of 900 hPa (27 inHg) 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]

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 a 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 1.16 m (3.8 ft).^[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 130 mi (210 km) 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]