Hurricane Patsy (1959)

Infobox Hurricane
Name=Hurricane Patsy
Type=Hurricane
Year=1959
Basin=EPac
Formed=September 6, 1959
Dissipated=September 10, 1959
1-min winds=150
Pressure=
Pressurepre=
Da

Damagespre=Unknown
Fatalities=None
Areas=Midway | Hurricane season=1959 Pacific typhoon season
1959 Pacific hurricane season

Typhoon (or Hurricane) Patsy was a tropical cyclone of both the 1959 Pacific typhoon season and the 1959 Pacific hurricane season. Moving erratically near the international dateline, the tropical cyclone never made landfall; it came close to Midway as a Category 3 hurricane, but caused no known impact, perhaps due to its small size. It is notable for being the earliest known Category 5 Pacific hurricane and the hurricane with the highest winds in the central north Pacific tropical cyclone basin, as well as being an uncommon west-to-east dateline crosser.

Meteorological history

On September 6, reports from aircraft indicated the existence of a tropical storm near the international dateline. Earlier stages were missed because of a lack of data in the isolated area. A trough moved Patsy northeast. A second trough then developed, dominated over the first, and recurved Patsy northeast. It then slowly headed northwards and gradually weakened. It dissipated on September 10. Patsy's erratic path near the dateline was unusual and no known tropical cyclone had taken such a path over the previous ten years,cite web|url=http://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/1959atcr/pdf/wnp/29.pdf|accessdate=2008-05-25|title=Typhoon Patsy|publisher=Joint Typhoon Warning Center|format=PDF] although that of Typhoon June of 1958 was somewhat similar.cite web|url=http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/1959.php|publisher=Central Pacific Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-05-31|title=The 1959 Central Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season]

The National Hurricane Center's "best track" data set has Patsy exclusively east of the dateline from detection to dissipation.cite web|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/tracks1949to2007_epa.txt|date=2008-03-21|title=Eastern North Pacific Tracks File 1949-2007|accessdate=2008-05-25|publisher=National Hurricane Center] The Japan Meteorological Agency's "best track" does not give windspeeds, only indicating that Patsy was a typhoon.cite web|url=http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/jma-eng/jma-center/rsmc-hp-pub-eg/Besttracks/bst5160.txt|title=Untitled|publisher=Japan Meteorological Agency|accessdate=2008-05-25] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center's report disagrees on location but also has Patsy's maximum windspeed east of the dateline; the JMA's data does not indicate windspeeds.

Impact and records

Hurricane Patsy caused no deaths or damage, as it stayed in the open Pacific near the dateline, but it did pass close to Midway.

Hurricane Patsy holds two records as a Pacific hurricane. First, by reaching Category 5 intensity on September 6, 1959 it is the earliest known Pacific hurricane to reach that intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Second, its maximum reported windspeed of convert|150|kn|km/h makes it the central Pacific hurricane with the highest sustained winds; Hurricane John tied this record in 1994. In addition, Patsy is an uncommon west-to-east crosser of the dateline. Including only systems recognized by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, that has only happened six times since.cite web|url=http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/|title=Previous Tropical Systems in the Central Pacific|accessdate=2008-05-25|publisher=Central Pacific Hurricane Center] Some doubt may exist regarding that windspeed due to one report of Category 5 winds also giving a sea level pressure of only 960 mb/hPa—cite web|url=http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/summaries/1978.php|accessdate=2008-05-25|title=The 1978 Central Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season|publisher=Central Pacific Hurricane Center] a value typical of a Category 3 hurricane;cite web|url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/D1.html|title=Subject: D1) How are Atlantic hurricanes ranked?|publisher=National Hurricane Center|accessdate=2008-05-31|author=Christopher Landsea] the second report did not give a pressure.

References

External links

* [http://www.weather.unisys.com/hurricane/e_pacific/1959/PATSY/track.gifStorm path]