Typhoon Delays Giants-Yankees World Series?

As you may know, I write a daily weather blurb in the San Jose Mercury News.  A few days ago a reader asked if a hurricane ever hit the Bay Area.  The answer is no, not even a tropical storm. 

 

A few days later the following e-mail arrived at my inbox.  Please feel free to read along as we answer the original question.  

 

 

 

Mike, did you forget about the typhoon that interrupted the Giants-Yankees World Series??

Leon

Hi Leon,

I'm not familiar with this "typhoon". 

 

A tropical system may have delayed a world series when New York was home to both teams but not since the Giants moved to San Francisco.  A tropical weather system has never hit the Bay Area.

Tropical weather systems hitting the US are called tropical depressions, tropical storms, or hurricanes depending on wind speed.

Mike

Mike, you are incorrect. I believe it was 1967. A typhoon hit the Bay Area (a spinoff of one in

SE Asia).  THE WORLD SERIES WAS DELAYED AT CANDLESTICK PARK. HELICOPTERS WERE USED AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF RAIN TO DRY THE FIELD.

It was the famous World Series, where Bobby Richardson caught Willie McCovey's drive in the 9th inning of game 7 to prevent a Giants win. That will never be forgotten.  You must not be a Bay Area native. I read your article every day on the weather page. Check with the weather girls on the 5PM news. Write me back.

Thank you,

Leon

San Jose

Good Morning

Leon,

Let me try to explain this differently.

 

We categorize tropical weather systems by their wind speed.

39 – 73 mph:  Tropical Storm

74+ mph:  Hurricane/Typhoon

 

We do not have typhoons in the US.  Typhoons, which contain the same structure as our hurricanes, occur in the western Pacific Ocean.  Typhoons and hurricanes are the same storm type but called different names in different parts of the world. 

 

A typhoon would never hit the Bay Area and a hurricane never has.  The remnants of a typhoon can cross the Pacific Ocean and brings us wet weather but it will no longer contain the characteristics of a typhoon nor be called one.

You are right about a world series between the Giants and Yankees being delayed by torrential rain.  The year was 1962.

 

The 1967 World Series was played in St. Louis and Boston. 

  

Hope this helps.

My best,

Mike