Typhoon Gilda was an intense tropical cyclone that struck regions of the central Philippines in December 1959. An unusually strong late-season storm, Gilda developed on December 13 from a disturbance first identified southeast of Chuuk State three days prior. Steadily intensifying, Gilda reached typhoon strength the next day and proceeded in a general westward track towards the Philippines. On December 18, the typhoon peaked with maximum sustained winds of 280 km/h (175 mph) shortly before the storm made landfall on Samar with a slightly weakened intensity. After passing into the South China Sea, Gilda steadily weakened and made a final landfall in southern Vietnam before dissipating on December 22 over Cambodia. Damage in the Philippines was extensive, and in some locations telecommunicat