Overview of Rita (1978 CE)
Rita was a tropical cyclone tracked during the 1978 CE season. According to official historical records archived in the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS v04r01), the storm was monitored between October 15, 1978, at 00:00 UTC and October 30, 1978, at 06:00 UTC.
The storm's official identifier in the IBTrACS database is 1978288N10185. During its active tracking period, the primary World Meteorological Organization (WMO) agency responsible for evaluating storm metrics was Tokyo.
Intensity and Pressure Profile
Official meteorological assessments from the responsible WMO agency record the peak intensity and atmospheric pressure characteristics of Rita during its 1978 CE lifespan:
- Maximum Sustained Wind Speed: 120.0 kt (222.2 km/h), as determined by the WMO responsible agency.
- Minimum Central Pressure: 880.0 mb, evaluated by the WMO responsible agency.
Track Characteristics and Geographical Coverage
The IBTrACS record spans 111 individual track entries for Rita over its 15-day observation window from October 15 to October 30, 1978 CE. Across all recorded track points, the storm maintained a mean location centered at latitude 12.61°N and longitude 143.93°E.
The sample positions listed below illustrate the progress of the storm's path over time based on representative snapshots from the official record:
| Date and Time (UTC) | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| 1978-10-16 12:00 | 9.0°N | 179.7°E |
| 1978-10-20 00:00 | 11.7°N | 164.4°E |
| 1978-10-23 09:00 | 12.0°N | 146.3°E |
| 1978-10-26 18:00 | 15.5°N | 121.2°E |
| 1978-10-30 06:00 | 12.0°N | 108.5°E |
These track coordinates are representative positions selected from the full 111-entry observational history in the IBTrACS archive.
Frequently asked questions
What was the maximum intensity recorded for Rita in 1978 CE?
Official records from the responsible WMO agency in the IBTrACS dataset record maximum sustained winds of 120.0 kt (222.2 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 880.0 mb.
What is the time period covered by the official track dataset for Rita?
The official track record begins on October 15, 1978, at 00:00 UTC and ends on October 30, 1978, at 06:00 UTC, encompassing 111 data entries.
Image credits
- NASA, NOAA, JMA, (stitching by ViridLeWiki) — Wikimedia Commons source — CC0
Sources and further context
Official datasets support the event-specific facts.