Storm history › West Pacific › 1968 season
Typhoon Elaine (1968)
Elaine was a Category 5 typhoon of the 1968 West Pacific season. It was tracked from September 22, 1968 to October 3, 1968, about 12 days, and covered 2,663 miles.
At its peak it had winds of 175 mph (280 km/h) and a lowest pressure of 910 mb.
Its closest pass to a major city was 1 miles from Jieyang, China.
- Peak wind
- 175 mph
- Lowest pressure
- 910 mb
- Strongest
- Category 5 typhoon
- Duration
- 12 days
- Track length
- 2,663 mi
- Energy (ACE)
- 22.5
DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5
Closest pass to major cities
| City | Closest pass |
|---|---|
| Jieyang, China | 1 mi (2 km) |
| Chaozhou, China | 3 mi (6 km) |
| Puning, China | 5 mi (8 km) |
| Sanming, China | 6 mi (10 km) |
| Shantou, China | 17 mi (28 km) |
| Zhangzhou, China | 23 mi (38 km) |
| Longyan, China | 29 mi (47 km) |
How it compares
- Peak winds: 62nd highest of 2,271 West Pacific storms on record, tied with Typhoon Rai (2021), Typhoon Kong-Rey (2018), Typhoon Yutu (2018) and 43 more.
- Lowest pressure: 121st lowest of 2,047 West Pacific storms with a recorded pressure, tied with Typhoon Ragasa (2025), Typhoon Maria (2018), Typhoon Ewiniar (2006) and 30 more.
- Energy: 6% of the 1968 West Pacific season's ACE.