Tropical Storm Harriet was a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

that hit

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

and

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

in October 1962. It formed in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

before making landfall in Southern Thailand and crossing the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...

into the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line between ...

. It caused extensive damage in Thailand, especially in the area of Laem Talumphuk, where it wiped out entire villages, caused over 900 fatalities and left over 10,000 people homeless, making it the deadliest storm in the history of Thailand.

Meteorological history

The system that would become Tropical Storm Harriet formed off the western coast of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

on the morning on the afternoon of October 19. The system proceeded northwest, then darted southwest off the coast, crossing through the

. The storm spent several days through the open ocean, unable to strengthen into a tropical depression. On October 23, the storm turned northward towards

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, but soon returned westward, slowly strengthening as it crossed the South China Sea. On the afternoon of October 25, the system finally strengthened into a tropical storm, receiving the name of Harriet. Winds peaked at for Harriet, which soon made landfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in Thailand on October 25. After crossing the country, Harriet weakened into a low on October 26 in the open waters of the Indian Ocean. The system continued westward, then curved to the northeast. It attained peak 1 minute winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) on October 30 while approaching the northeastern Bay of Bengal. Soon after, the cyclone made landfall near

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) before dissipating over Myanmar on October 31.

Impact

Harriet caused extensive damage in the area of Laem Talumphuk in

Pak Phanang District Pak Phanang ( th, ปากพนัง, ) is a district (''amphoe'') of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The name of district means 'sheltered mouth', referring to the mouth of the Pak Phanang River protected from the open sea by ...

of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, where it wiped out entire villages. Initial reports noted at least 769 fatalities, with 142 missing as of November 4, and over 252 severe injuries. Damage at the time was estimated to be over $34.5 million (1962 USD) to government buildings, agriculture, homes and fishing fleets. The disaster left 16,170 people homeless and destroyed 22,296 buildings across the province. Final figures by the

Thai Meteorological Department The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) is the Thai governmental agency responsible for weather forecasting and monitoring. It is an agency of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES). It maintains four meteorological centers: one each ...

record 935 deaths, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in the country's history. The cyclone killed 50,000 people in what is now Bangladesh.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harriet (1962) 1962 Pacific typhoon season 1962 North Indian Ocean cyclone season Typhoons in Thailand 1962 in Thailand Tropical cyclones in Bangladesh Tropical cyclones in Myanmar 1962 in Burma October 1962 events in Asia

Meteorological history

Impact

See also

References