Typhoon Emma (1956)

{{storm path|Emma 1956 track.png}}

Forming from a tropical disturbance near the Mariana Islands, Emma churned southwest before gaining typhoon status on September 3. Emma then recurved after reaching Category 3 status. Moving west-northwest, Emma reached a peak intensity of {{convert|155|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} as it bypassed Okinawa. Emma then brushed South Korea and Kyūshū as a strong Category 3 typhoon before swinging to the northeast and hitting China and the far eastern Soviet Union.Unisys (2006)[http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1956/12/track.dat EMMA Best track] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070336/http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1956/12/track.dat |date=2016-03-04 }} URL Accessed:October 11, 2006

The Tokyo Weather Center began to issue warnings when Emma was spotted on September 3, east-southeast of Iwo Jima. During the preparations, bread and milk were stocked and U.S. installations in Okinawa were placed on alert. An army hospital in Ryūkyū was evacuated as patients were transferred to storm shelters where they had pie and beans.United States Army [https://archive.today/20121212222516/http://www.history.army.mil/documents/cold-war/emma/emma.htm Typhoon Emma Report] APO 343 URL Accessed:October 11, 2006

Emma killed 77 people and caused $8–12 million (1956 dollars) in damage across Okinawa and South Korea.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

Most heeded typhoon watches, either evacuating or bolting storm shutters and stowing away light equipment. On Okinawa's eastern beaches however, more than a dozen marines who were unaware of the danger came to the beaches eager to surf in the thundering waves. Eleven of the Marines had already paddled out into open water when they realized the danger, but it was too late. A strong rip current had overwhelmed the soldiers and all eleven marines drowned.Longshore, David. Encyclopedia of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones. Facts on File (1998) {{ISBN|0-8160-3398-6}}

When the storm struck, it brought {{convert|143|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} gusts that ripped apart runways and smashed hangars. Heavy rains brought flashfloods that damaged homes and buildings. A total of {{convert|1059|mm|in}} fell at Kadena Air Force Base in 21 hours on September 8.{{cite book|title=World Meteorological Organization Operational Hydrology Report No. 1: Manual For Estimation of Probable Maximum Precipitation|author=J. L. H. Paulhaus|publisher=World Meteorological Organization|year=1973|page=178}} By the time Emma left the battered island, there was $8 million (1956 US dollars) in damage.

The U.S.-held island of Okinawa was hard hit by Emma. Numerous planes, runways and barracks were ether damaged or destroyed. The island was in the recovering phases when in 1957, Typhoon Faye, another powerful typhoon did the same damage ($11.3 million (1957 dollars)). Later the island was struck again by Typhoon Charlotte of 1959.

On Kyūshū, Emma brought 22 inches of rain that caused extensive flooding which left 34 people dead and thousands homeless. At its landfall near South Korea. Emma sank dozens of ships and wrecked homes and buildings. In all 42 people were dead and 35 missing, most of them fishermen.

Emma was also one of the few tropical cyclones to down a plane. It was a Boeing RB-50 hurricane hunter plane, which was sent up to study wind velocities in the storm's right front quadrant. The plane went down in the storm, taking all 16 crew members with it. Although no direct cause was stated, it was speculated that the winds of the typhoon caused the airplane to go into a tailspin. Another theory was that the low pressures caused the plane's altimeters to give a false reading, and that caused the pilots to assume that they were flying much higher than they actually were, causing them to continue flying on their assumed altitude until they crashed. The theory was also applied to what happened to a hurricane hunter which crashed during Hurricane Janet in 1955.

• Other storms of the same name

• David Longshore. "Typhoon Emma." Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons and Cyclones. David Longshore. New York: Facts on File, 1998, Pg; 113-114.

• [https://archive.today/20121212222516/http://www.history.army.mil/documents/cold-war/emma/emma.htm Typhoon Emma Report] at the United States Army Center of Military History
• [http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/digital-typhoon/summary/wnp/s/195612.html.en JMA General Information] of Typhoon Emma (5612) from Digital Typhoon
• [http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/cgi-bin/dt/dsummary.pl?id=195612&basin=wnp&lang=en Disaster Information] of Typhoon Emma (5612) from Digital Typhoon
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054337/http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1956/12/track.gif Unisys (Typhoon Emma track)]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070336/http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/w_pacific/1956/12/track.dat Unisys (Typhoon Emma Best track data from JTWC)]

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Category:1956 Pacific typhoon season

Category:Typhoons in Japan

Category:Typhoons in South Korea

Category:Typhoons in Russia

Typhoon Emma