Typhoon Rose, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Uring, was the most violent and intense tropical cyclone to strike Hong Kong since Typhoon Wanda in 1962. The 21st named storm of the 1971 Pacific typhoon season, Rose developed from an area of disturbed weather while west of Guam on August 9. Moving west-northwestward, the storm briefly became a typhoon on the following day. After weakening to a tropical storm on August 11, Rose re-intensified into a typhoon several hours later. The system then curved westward and reached a primary peak intensity with winds of on August 13. Later that day, the typhoon made landfall near Palanan, Isabela in the Philippines. Rose weakened significantly while crossing the island of Luzon and was a minimal typhoon upon reaching the South China Sea on August 14.
The storm intensified significantly and re-curved northwestward in response to a weakening high-pressure area. Early on August 16, Rose attained its maximum sustained wind speed of – equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane on the National Hurricane Center's Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Later that day, a ship observed the typhoon's minimum barometric pressure of . Thereafter, the storm weakened slightly before making landfall at Lantau Island, Hong Kong, with winds of late on August 16. Rose rapidly weakened to a tropical storm early the following day and dissipated several hours later.
Mostly minor wind impact was recorded in the Philippines, limited to downed communication lines and damaged houses. Offshore Hong Kong, storm surge and heavy waves sank or severely damaged at least 300 boats, causing 110 deaths and 283 injuries. Inland, heavy rainfall flooded low-lying areas and resulted in numerous landslides. A fire ignited at a large power sub-station in Kwun Tong and was difficult to extinguish due to strong winds. The fire caused blackouts in Kowloon Peninsula and New Territories, trapping thousands of people in elevators. A total of 5,644 people were left homeless, while 653 huts were destroyed. Approximately 30,000 telephones became out of service. Twenty other fatalities occurred in Hong Kong.
Meteorological history
On August 6, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began monitoring an area of disturbed weather in the vicinity of the Federated States of Micronesia. By early the next day, satellite imagery indicated the presence of a small circulation north of Chuuk. Radars at Fleet Weather Central and Andersen Air Force Base on Guam detected spiral convective bands crossing the island on August 9. At 00:00 UTC the following day, the system developed into Tropical Storm Rose while located west of Guam. Around that time, a reconnaissance aircraft flight indicated a "mini-storm" with sustained winds between . Initially, Rose moved west-northwestward at about . The storm was a small cyclone, covering an area of . Rose quickly strengthened and became a typhoon around 12:00 UTC on August 10. Early the following day, the system briefly weakened back to a tropical storm, before re-acquiring typhoon status hours later.
Rose intensified further while tracking generally westward at . Around midday on August 13, the typhoon attained a primary peak intensity with winds of , equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. Rose weakened slightly before making landfall in Palanan, Isabela, Philippines, with winds of . The storm weakened further while crossing island of Luzon and emerged into the South China Sea early on August 14 as a minimal typhoon. Rose immediately began to re-intensify. A high-pressure area that had steered the typhoon for the last several days weakened significantly, causing Rose to re-curving northwestward and decelerated to a forward speed of . Deepening continued, with the typhoon peaking with maximum sustained winds of – equal to a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale – early on August 16. Later that day, a ship in the vicinity of the eye observed a barometric pressure of – the lowest in relation to the cyclone.
At around 12:00 UTC on August 16, reports from the JTWC indicate that Rose weakened slightly while approaching the Hong Kong and the coast of China. Hours later, the storm made landfall at Lantau Island with winds of . Rose was the most intense typhoon to strike Hong Kong since Wanda in 1962. Moving inland, the system rapidly weakened to a tropical storm early on August 17 and dissipated shortly thereafter.