Typhoon Rita trajectory analysis
Track and Movement Characteristics
Typhoon Rita (197822) began its lifecycle at 14:00 on October 17, 1978, over the open Northwest Pacific, initially located at 10°N, 177.5°E. After formation, the system maintained a steady WNW trend. From October 17 to 22, it remained within the low latitudes of 10°N to 11.8°N while its longitude moved rapidly westward from 177.5°E to 152.3°E, indicating strong, sustained westward movement driven by the guiding flow on the southern side of the subtropical high.
As the system moved westward, its track acquired a slight northward component after October 23. At peak intensity on October 25, it was located at 13°N, 131°E. From October 26 to 27, its latitude rose rapidly from 14.5°NN to 16.8°N while it continued moving westward. This indicated that the typhoon’s track gradually shifted northwest as it approached the eastern South China Sea, influenced by changes in the surrounding environmental flow. After October 28, it turned southwestward and weakened near 13.5°N, 110°E by 02:00 on October 30. Throughout its entire lifecycle, the typhoon made no landfall and remained at sea.
Intensity evolution and historical comparison
Rita的Intensity演变呈现出典型的“快速增强-维持巅峰-缓慢减弱”特征. 系统在 formed后仅用3天Time, 由Tropical Depression (12m/s) 迅猛发展为Typhoon 级 (40m/s) . 10月22日达到Super Typhoon标准 (60m/s, 910hPa) , 并在随后的三天内持续增强, at 10月25日达到生命史巅峰, 中心最低气压降至惊人的878hPa, max wind 达75m/s. 此后, 虽然Intensity开始波动下降, 但直至10月26日仍保持Super Typhoon等级 (60m/s) . Go to S海区域后, 受海面条件或垂直风切变影响, intensity 急剧衰减, 从10月27日的Severe Typhoon (45m/s) 迅速 weakened into 10月30日的Tropical Depression.
Compared with previous typhoons of the same name, Rita in 1978 was significantly more intense. Although the 1972 Rita also reached super typhoon status, its minimum central pressure was 911hPa, far higher than this year’s 878hPa. The 1975 Rita reached only typhoon status (970hPa), while the 1961 Rita peaked at tropical storm intensity (996hPa). The data show that the 1978 Rita was the strongest recorded typhoon named Rita. Its exceptionally low central pressure and maximum winds demonstrated tremendous destructive potential, even though it ultimately made no direct landfall.
Typhoon Rita routes
| Time | Position | Intensity | Wind · Pressure | Move toward |
|---|
| 10-17 14:00 | 10°N
177.5°E | Tropical Depression | 12 m/s
1006 hPa | - |
| 10-18 08:00 | 10.5°N
174.2°E | Tropical Depression | 15 m/s
1002 hPa | W |
| 10-19 02:00 | 11°N
171°E | Tropical Storm | 20 m/s
996 hPa | W |
| 10-19 20:00 | 11.2°N
167.5°E | Severe Tropical Storm | 25 m/s
995 hPa | W |
| 10-20 14:00 | 11.8°N
162.8°E | Typhoon | 40 m/s
960 hPa | W |
| 10-21 08:00 | 11.4°N
158.1°E | Severe Typhoon | 50 m/s
935 hPa | W |
| 10-22 02:00 | 11.1°N
154.5°E | Super Typhoon | 55 m/s
930 hPa | W |
| 10-22 20:00 | 11.6°N
151.2°E | Super Typhoon | 60 m/s
910 hPa | W |
| 10-23 14:00 | 11.8°N
147.1°E | Super Typhoon | 70 m/s
884 hPa | W |
| 10-24 08:00 | 12.1°N
142°E | Super Typhoon | 70 m/s
900 hPa | W |
| 10-25 02:00 | 12.7°N
135.2°E | Super Typhoon | 70 m/s
886 hPa | W |
| 10-25 20:00 | 13.4°N
129°E | Super Typhoon | 70 m/s
885 hPa | WNW |
| 10-26 14:00 | 14.5°N
123.7°E | Super Typhoon | 60 m/s
920 hPa | WNW |
| 10-27 08:00 | 16.3°N
119.7°E | Severe Typhoon | 50 m/s
970 hPa | WNW |
| 10-28 02:00 | 17.2°N
116.3°E | Typhoon | 35 m/s
990 hPa | WNW |
| 10-28 20:00 | 16.4°N
114.8°E | Severe Tropical Storm | 30 m/s
990 hPa | SW |
| 10-29 14:00 | 14.5°N
112.8°E | Tropical Storm | 20 m/s
995 hPa | SW |
| 10-30 02:00 | 13.5°N
110°E | Tropical Depression | 12 m/s
1000 hPa | WSW |
Sampled rows shown; all 51 track points are available on the interactive map or via the public API .
FAQ
Rita is the 1978 Typhoon.
Typhoon Rita's 197822 is the historical numbering retained by the CMA, meaning No. 22 in 1978. Its international name was RITA. The international unified numbering system for the Northwest Pacific did not begin until 1981; before then, the JMA (Japan), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in the USA, and Chinese meteorological agencies each used their own numbering, so the numbers for the same typhoon cannot be directly compared.
Where does Typhoon Rita's track data come from?
Path. Data sources: China Meteorological Administration Tropical Cyclone Best Track Dataset (CMA-STI); wind speed refers to 2-min sustained wind speed. Track points at intermediate times are encrypted based on original operational positioning data, while wind speed and pressure are interpolated using best-track anchor points.
What is the highest level of Typhoon Rita?
Typhoon Rita peak intensity is Super Typhoon, max wind 75m/s, minimum central pressure 878 hPa.
Typhoon Rita Landfall?
According to records, Typhoon Rita is not in our coastal Landfall.
Where can I view typhoon Rita's live track map?
TyphoonSays (taifengshuo.com) provides typhoon Rita's Track history map, multinational meteorological agency Forecast comparison, windshield range with IntensityTrend, page address: https://taifengshuo.com/typhoon/197822.
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