until reaching the western region of the South China Sea on November 22. An approaching cold front turned the typhoon to the northeast, resulting in a rare occurrence of a typhoon recurving northeastward in the western portion of the South China Sea. On November 24 the typhoon passed over Macau, and two hours later the eye crossed directly over Hong Kong. The calm of the center of the eye lasted for fifteen minutes at the Hong Kong Observatory, the first time on record that the calm of a typhoon was recorded there. The typhoon began to become extratropical after making landfall, and continued northeastward through southern China. It gradually weakened while passing through the Taiwan Strait and possibly over Taiwan before dissipating on November 26. While crossing over the Philippines, a station in Capiz on Panay Island recorded a pressure of as well as winds in excess of . The passage of the typhoon sunk a motor boat on Masbate island, killing 48 of the 50 occupants aboard. One person was reported missing and presumed dead in Balangiga in Eastern Samar, believed to be caused by drowning. Property damage was great in Samar, Leyte, and Capiz provinces. In Hong Kong, wind gusts reached during a rainband ahead of the storm. Rainfall began seven hours before the arrival of the typhoon, and amounted to roughly . The heaviest rainfall occurred in rainbands ahead of the typhoon, with about falling during a 1-hour time period. The lowest pressure recorded in Hong Kong was about while the typhoon was passing through the area. Damage was minor in Hong Kong. See also 1939 Pacific hurricane season 1939 Atlantic hurricane season 1930s North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons 1900–1950 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone seasons 1900–1940 South Pacific cyclone seasons 1930s Australian region cyclone seasons Bernard Doucette References Pacific Typhoon Season, 1939 Pre-1940 Pacific typhoon seasons 1939 in Asia 1939 in Oceania 1939 natural disasters