1981 Open Championship
The 1981 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 110th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, England. Bill Rogers won his only major championship, four strokes ahead of runner-up Bernhard Langer. The Open returned to Royal St. George's for the first time since 1949, making it a new venue for all; no former champions finished in the top ten.


1981 Open Championship, Round summaries, Second round
Amateurs: Godwin (+6), Evans (+8), Sutton (+8), Chapman (+10), Keppler (+10), Walton (+10), Young (+10), Brand (+12), R. Mitchell (+12), Sherborne (+12), Ploujoux (+14), Thomas (+14), Blakeman (+15), Planchin (+15), Seamer (+15), Ling (+17), C. Mitchell (+18), Pook (+19), Ambridge (+20), Heib (+22), Lawrence (+23), Hall (+24), Sviland (+24).


1981 Open Championship, Round summaries, Third round
Amateurs: Godwin (+8), Sutton (+11), Keppler (+13), Evans (+15), Young (+15), Chapman (+16), Walton (+16).


1981 Orange Bowl
The 1981 Orange Bowl was the 47th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1980–81 bowl game season, it matched the fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference and the independent #2 Florida State Seminoles.


1981 Orange Bowl, Teams
The game was a rematch of the previous year, and both teams were on seven-game winning streaks.


1981 Orange Bowl, Teams, Oklahoma
The Sooners lost two non-conference games, to Stanford at home, and rival Texas in Dallas. They were champions of the Big Eight Conference for the eighth consecutive year. This was Oklahoma's twelfth Orange Bowl appearance, fourth consecutive, and fifth in six seasons.


1981 Orange Bowl, Teams, Florida State
The Seminoles' only blemish was a one-point loss at rival Miami in late September. This was Florida State's second major bowl appearance, after playing in last year's edition.


1981 Orange Bowl, Game summary
After a scoreless first quarter, Ricky Williams put Florida State ahead with his touchdown run, and Oklahoma countered with a long field goal by Mike Keeling; the Seminoles led 7–3 at halftime.


1981 Orange Bowl, Game summary
To start the second half, Oklahoma drove 78 yards on twelve plays, and halfback David Overstreet scored from four yards out to take a 10–7 lead. A short field goal by Bill Capece tied the game at ten for the last tally of the third quarter.


1981 Orange Bowl, Game summary
Four minutes into the final quarter, cornerback Bobby Butler recovered a botched punt snap in the end zone to give the Seminoles a 17–10 lead. With 3:19 remaining, Oklahoma's fate laid in the hands of senior quarterback J. C. Watts, who had turned the ball over three times on fumbles. He led the Sooners on a 78-yard drive, culminating with an eleven-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Rhodes with 1:33 remaining. Down by a point, Oklahoma opted for the two-point conversion attempt, and Watts completed a pass to tight end Forrest Valora in the end zone for a one-point lead. Florida State tried to counter back, but Capece's 62-yard field goal attempt fell short, and the Sooners were victorious.


1981 Orange Bowl, Aftermath
Oklahoma climbed to third in the final AP poll and Florida State fell to fifth.


1981 Orange Bowl, Aftermath
The Sooners' next Orange Bowl was four years later, the first of four consecutive; the Seminoles did not return for twelve years.


1981 Oregon Ducks football team
The 1981 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), the team was led by head coach Rich Brooks, in his fifth year, and played their home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. They finished the season with a record of two wins and nine losses (2–9 overall, 1–6 in the Pac-10, ninth).


1981 Oregon Ducks football team, NFL Draft
Three Ducks were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft, which lasted twelve rounds (334 selections).


1981 Oregon State Beavers football team
The 1981 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Joe Avezzano, the Beavers compiled a 1–10 record (0–7 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in last place in the Pac-10, and were outscored by their opponents, 469 to 145. The team played its home games at Parker Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.


1981 Origins Award winners
The following are the winners of the 8th annual (1981) Origins Award, presented at Origins 1982:


1981 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo)
1981 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo) was the 75th water polo championship in Hungary. There were fourteen teams who played two-round match for the title.


1981 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1981 Ottawa Rough Riders season
The 1981 Ottawa Rough Riders finished the season in 2nd place in the East Division with a 5–11 record. They appeared in the Grey Cup game, in what would be their last Grey Cup appearance in franchise history, and the last for any Ottawa-based CFL team for 34 years.


1981 Ottawa Rough Riders season, Postseason, Grey Cup
Ottawa – FG – Gerry Organ 34 yardsOttawa – FG – Gerry Organ 37 yardsOttawa – TD – Jim Reid 1-yard run (Gerry Organ convert)


1981 Ottawa Rough Riders season, Postseason, Grey Cup
Ottawa – TD – Sam Platt 14-yard run (Gerry Organ convert) Edmonton – Single – Dave Cutler 24 yards missed Field Goal


1981 Ottawa Rough Riders season, Postseason, Grey Cup
Edmonton – TD – Jim Germany 2-yard run (Dave Cutler convert)Edmonton – TD – Warren Moon 1-yard run (Dave Cutler convert)


1981 Ottawa Rough Riders season, Postseason, Grey Cup
Ottawa – FG – Gerry Organ 28 yardsEdmonton – TD – Warren Moon 1-yard run (Marco Cyncar 2 point convert pass from Moon)Edmonton – FG – Dave Cutler 27 yards


1981 Overseas Final
The 1981 Overseas Final was the inaugural running of the Overseas Final as part of the qualification for the 1981 Speedway World Championship Final to be held at the Wembley Stadium in London, England. The 1981 Final was run on 12 July at the White City Stadium in London, and was the second last qualifying round for Commonwealth and American riders.


1981 Overseas Final
The Top 10 riders qualified for the Intercontinental Final to be held at the Speedway Center in Vojens, Denmark. England's Dave Jessup won the first ever Overseas Final.


1981 Oxley state by-election
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly electorate of Oxley on 21 February 1981 following the resignation of Bruce Cowan (National Country) to successfully contest the federal seat of Lyne at the 1980 election.


1981 Oxley state by-election
By-elections for the seats of Cessnock, Maitland and Sturt were held on the same day.


1981 Oxley state by-election, Aftermath
Peter King's career was to be short-lived. The electoral redistribution for the 1981 state election abolished the nearby electorate of Raleigh, and its Country Party MLA, Jim Brown, chose to challenge King for Oxley preselection rather than contest the new electorate of Coffs Harbour. Brown emerged successful after a controversial preselection campaign, and King was forced to retire at the 1981 election.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals
The 1981 PBA Open Conference Finals was the best-of-5 basketball championship series of the 1981 PBA Open Conference, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals
The Toyota Super Diesels defeated Crispa Redmanizers in a five-game series to win their seventh PBA title and finally ended frustrations of last season's three runner-up finishes. New Toyota coach Edgardo Ocampo won his first title with his new team and the second overall in his PBA coaching career. Toyota and Crispa played for the 10th and last time in a finals series.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 1
The Super Diesels led by as many as 16 points, 75-59. The fouling out of Jaworski, Fields and Tuadles gave the Redmanizers the chance to narrow the gap and then tie the score twice, the last at 112-all.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 1
Toyota had to lean on the relief job of Victor King and the last-minute heroics and Danny Florencio and Ramon Fernandez to secure the hard-earned victory.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 2
Robert Jaworski missed a desperation three-point shot with one second left that could have won the game for the Super Diesels.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 2
The Redmanizers led by 23 points late in the second quarter, 70-47, but fell behind, 100-104, in the fourth period. A see-saw battle had the lead change hands five times and the score tied three times, the last at 119-all.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 3
Crispa trailed, 106-114, with 4:06 remaining. The Redmanizers went on a scoring spree and held Toyota to a lone field goal by Abe King. The Super Diesels collapsed with four straight misses and three errors.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 4
Andrew Fields triggered Toyota’s blazing 13-1 windup with his four-point cluster that put the Super Diesels on top, 107-97, with 2:52 to go.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 5
The fifth and deciding game in the best-of-five title series had more than 25,000 fans at the big dome, the fitting climax had NBA referees Lee Jones and James Capers officiate the match. The game was close from start to finish and was deadlocked several times, it was tied for the last time at 97-all with 3:15 to go. After Ramon Fernandez scores to give Toyota a 99-97 lead, a Crispa turnover resulted to Atoy Co given a technical foul, Fernandez converted the technical free throw to make it 100-97 for the Super Diesels at the 2:00 mark. Another turnover by the Redmanizers, this time from an offensive foul from Co gives Toyota the ball possession.


1981 PBA Open Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 5
With 1:20 left, Andrew Fields scores with a foul from James Hardy. Fields sank his bonus shot for a three-point play, 103-97 for Toyota. On the next play, Bernie Fabiosa slips and lost the ball to Francis Arnaiz. Both teams had a series of misses in the final minute and with 20 seconds to go, Toyota freezes the ball to end the game in jubilation.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals
The 1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals was the best-of-5 basketball championship series of the 1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals
The Crispa Redmanizers captured their 9th PBA title with a 3–1 series win against the U/Tex Wranglers.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 1
The Redmanizers outscored the Wranglers, 33–18 in the second quarter to take a 62–45 lead at halftime. Crispa kept U/Tex at a 15-point distance in the first seven minutes of play in the third period before Bogs Adornado and Lim Eng Beng scored successively from the field to get the Wranglers to within seven points, 73–80. The Wranglers threaten once more in the final quarter with Leroy Jackson, Adornado and Lim combined for 26 points but Abet Guidaben scored twice to stop their rally as Crispa leads, 110–99. U/Tex kept on fighting back with a 9-2 run, Allan Green's basket was countered by a three-point goal from Ricky Pineda to trim the lead further at 108–112, luckily for the Redmanizers, time has run out on U/Tex, Green made a charity from Jackson's backcourt foul for the final count.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 2
The Wranglers trailed for most part of the first half, reversed the trend in the second half and even led by eight points, 89–81, Freddie Hubalde spark a rally for Crispa that tied the count for the last time at 91–all, Wranglers' import Leroy Jackson came up with the key points in the last two minutes of play, after he put U/Tex back on top, Hubalde missed tying the game when he muffed an easy layup, Jackson scored on a fastbreak hit that iced the game for U/Tex with 10 seconds left.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 3
Allan Green, coming out of the bench in the last four minutes, tallied two three-point plays against Leroy Jackson to give Crispa a 114–108 margin, the Wranglers fell behind by 14 points in the first half and 13 in the final period. Bogs Adornado shot the last six of his 34 points in a U/Tex rally that cut down Crispa's lead to two, 101–103. It was then when Green made the first of his three-point plays.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 4
A 23-10 run by Crispa in the second quarter with Atoy Co catching fire, gave them leads by 15 points, 52–37, the Wranglers fought back to within eight points at halftime, 55–63. The Redmanizers had entered penalty situation midway in the third quarter, Leroy Jackson got away with 16 points, 10 of which came from the foul line, coach Baby Dalupan was so mad at the way officiating was going that he yelled at the referees during a U/Tex timeout. Crispa led by only one, 91–90, at the end of the first 36 minutes of play.


1981 PBA Reinforced Filipino Conference Finals, Games summary, Game 4
In the final quarter, the Wranglers, starring Jackson and Jimmy Noblezada, grabbed the lead and held it several times, the last at 105–103, gutsy plays gave the Redmanizers a 109–106 lead before Philip Cezar made a clever move that caused Adornado to charge into him for an offensive foul and Adornado's sixth foul to bowed out in the ballgame, a 7–4 burst gave Crispa a comfortable 119–114 edge with less than two minutes remaining.


1981 PBA season
The 1981 PBA season was the seventh season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


1981 PGA Championship
The 1981 PGA Championship was the 63rd PGA Championship, held August 6–9 at Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb northeast of Atlanta. Larry Nelson won the first of his three major titles, four strokes ahead of runner-up Fuzzy Zoeller.


1981 PGA Championship
Lee Trevino, 1974 champion, did not sign his scorecard after an opening round 74 and was disqualified after turning himself in. Bob Murphy led after each of the first two rounds, but was 8-over on the weekend and finished ten strokes back in 18th place. After a second consecutive 66 on Saturday, Nelson held the 54-hole lead, four strokes ahead of Zoeller


1981 PGA Championship
Tom Watson was the PGA Tour money list leader in August 1981, but missed the cut by a stroke.


1981 PGA Championship
It was the second major held at the Highlands Course, which hosted the U.S. Open in 1976. The PGA Championship returned in 2001 and 2011.


1981 PGA Tour
The 1981 PGA Tour season was played from January 8 to October 25, with 44 official money events. Bill Rogers won the most tournaments, four, and there were five first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.


1981 PGA Tour
The tour changed its name to the "TPA Tour" in late August, for the "Tournament Players Association". After less than seven months, it reverted to the "PGA Tour" in mid-March 1982.


1981 PGA Tour, Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 1981 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Majors are shown in bold.


1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament (now known as the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament) was held March 5–7 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.


1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament
Top-seeded Fresno State topped defending champions San José State in the title game, 52–48, to win the Bulldogs' first PCAA/Big West men's basketball tournament.


1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament
The Bulldogs, in turn, received a bid to the 1981 NCAA Tournament, their first-ever appearance.


1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The format remained the same as 1979, with seven teams in the field. PCAA member UC Santa Barbara did not participate.


1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
Withseven teams participating, the top-seeded team was given a bye into the semifinals while the remaining six teams were entered into the first round and seeded based on regular season conference records.


1981 Pacific Conference Games
The 1981 Pacific Conference Games was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition between five Pacific coast nations: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. This was the first occasion that athletes from beyond the Pacific grouping were allowed to compete at the tournament. A total of 21 men's and 16 women's athletics events were contested. Combined track and field events were included for the first time, in the form of the men's decathlon and the women's pentathlon. The women's 3000 metres was also a new addition to the programme.


1981 Pacific Conference Games
It was held at Queen Elizabeth II Park on 31 January and 1 February in Christchurch, New Zealand. The host stadium was built for and hosted 1974 British Commonwealth Games.


1981 Pacific Conference Games
The competition had mandatory drug testing and two gold medallists were banned from the sport by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) after anabolic steroids were detected in their urine. Ben Plucknett, an American who broke the men's discus world record twice that year, was stripped of his win in that event and later tried to sue the IAAF. Four-time Olympic champion Al Oerter stated that Plucknett had been made an example of due to his record breaking. Another American Olympian John Powell—who was consequently elevated to the Pacific Conference discus gold—criticised the fact that bans came top-down from the federation, rather than being seen before a judge or jury.


1981 Pacific Conference Games
Australia's Gael Mulhall similarly had her shot put and discus titles removed for the same doping violation. Mulhall considered a legal appeal and team mate Bev Francis (who was promoted to the shot put gold) criticised the testing procedure, which had no team officials or doctors present. Ultimately Mulhall accepted a reduced 18-month ban, but did not publicly confirm whether she had taken steroids or not. Mulhall was criticised by Australian officials and members of the public as a drug cheat. She argued that testing was not of a reliable standard given the gravity of the sanctions and damage to her reputation, as well as saying that athletes needed more information on drugs and their effects.


1981 Pacific Tigers football team
The 1981 Pacific Tigers football team represented the University of the Pacific (UOP) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season as a member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association.


1981 Pacific Tigers football team
The team was led by head coach Bob Toledo, in his third year, and played their home games at Pacific Memorial Stadium in Stockton, California. They finished the season with a record of five wins and six losses (5–6, 2–3 PCAA). The Tigers were outscored by their opponents 170–253 over the season.


1981 Pacific Tigers football team, Team players in the NFL
The following UOP players were selected in the 1982 NFL Draft.


1981 Pacific hurricane season
The 1981 Pacific hurricane season was a slightly below average Pacific hurricane season. The season officially started on May 15 in the eastern Pacific basin and June 1 in the central Pacific basin. Both basins' seasons ended on November 30; these dates conventionally delimit the period during which most tropical cyclones form in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. The first tropical cyclone of the season was designated on May 30, and the final storm of the season, Hurricane Otis, dissipated on October 30. The season produced fifteen named storms and a total of eight hurricanes, which was near normal. However, the total of one major hurricane was below the average of three.


1981 Pacific hurricane season
The strongest tropical cyclone of the season was Hurricane Norma, which was a powerful Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale. The storm caused six deaths – five in Texas, and one in Mexico, due to severe flooding. Additionally, the storm caused $74 million (equivalent to $210.65 million in 2020) in damage, which is credited to significant crop damage and many tornadoes.


1981 Pacific hurricane season
However, the deadliest tropical cyclone of the season was Tropical Storm Lidia, which made two landfalls – one on the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula and the other along the shores of Sinaloa in early October. As the result of its heavy rainfall in northwestern Mexico, seventy-three fatalities were reported, along with $80 million in damage.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Seasonal summary
There was an absence in storm activity across the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility, as no storms developed in the basin. However, two tropical cyclones from the eastern Pacific, Greg and Jova, entered the central Pacific, the latter entering as a hurricane. The season produced fifteen named storms and eight hurricanes; both of these numbers were equal to the average. The season's one major hurricane, a storm with winds of at least 111 mph (179 km/h), was below the average of three. There are also at least two tropical depressions that did not strengthen into tropical storms.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Six tropical cyclones made landfall in Mexico. First, Tropical Storm Adrian made landfall 240 mi (390 km) east-southeast of Acapulco, but did not cause any damage. Afterwards, Tropical Storm Irwin made landfall in Baja California Sur, but similarly to Adrian, did not cause any damage. Tropical Storm Knut later made landfall near Mazatlán with winds equivalent to a minimal tropical storm, but no deaths or damage was reported. Tropical Storm Lidia struck about 23 mi (37 km) south of Los Mochis on October 8, with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h).


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Seasonal summary
Heavy rainfall associated with the cyclone caused moderate damage in northwestern Mexico, and at least seventy-three deaths can be attributed to the storm. On May 30, an area of intense shower and thunderstorm activity located 270 mi (430 km) south of the Mexican coastline. The second to strike the area in 10 days, Norma was absorbed by a frontal system on October 14. The combined entity produced heavy rainfall and severe weather across Texas, which subsequently led to severe crop damage. The final storm to make landfall on Mexico during the 1981 season was Hurricane Otis. Intensifying into a hurricane by October 26, the hurricane brushed the coast of Jalisco before making landfall near Mazatlán at hurricane intensity on October 30. Otis was the second of two hurricanes to make landfall in the country this season.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Adrian
On May 30, an area of intense shower and thunderstorm activity located 270 mi (430 km) to the south of the Mexican coastline intensified into a tropical depression. Drifting towards the north and then east-northeast around an area of high pressure centered off the southern coast of Mexico, the depression began to strengthen over 84 °F (29 °C) water. Twelve hours after formation, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Adrian. Reaching a peak intensity of 45 mph (75 km/h), Adrian began to move over slightly cooler ocean temperatures of 81 °F (27 °C) and subsequently began to weaken.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Adrian
After being downgraded to a tropical depression by June 2, data from two cargo ships, the Androemda and Santa Maria, were helpful in locating Adrian's center of circulation as it moved towards the Mexican coastline. On June 4, the system made landfall 240 mi (390 km) east-southeast of Acapulco; however, no damage associated with the tropical cyclone was reported, and Adrian dissipated later that same day.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Beatriz
On June 28, the season's second tropical depression formed approximately 400 mi (640 km) east of Clipperton Island. Moving quickly towards the west over warm sea-surface temperatures, the depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Beatriz just twelve hours after formation. Embedded within an area of favorable atmospheric conditions, Beatriz attained hurricane status at 1800 UTC on June 30, and intensified further to attain its first brief peak at 85 mph (137 km/h) by early on June 1.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Beatriz
Fluctuating in intensity, Hurricane Beatriz attained its peak intensity for a second time on June  2, only to enter an area of higher wind shear and cooler sea-surface temperatures. Far away from land, Beatriz was downgraded to a tropical storm on June 3, and then further into a tropical depression the following day. The tropical cyclone dissipated on July 4 while located several hundred miles to the west of Baja California Sur.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Beatriz
Since Beatriz briefly posed a threat to Mexico and California, the Hurricane Hunters were put on standby, but no flights were made into the storm. The system did produce wave heights as high as 4 ft (1.2 m) to Southern California; however, impact from the storm was less than anticipated.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Calvin
An area of disturbed weather located several hundred miles to the south of Acapulco organized into a tropical depression on July 4. Moving towards the west-northwest over warm sea-surface temperatures, the depression intensified into a tropical storm on July 5, receiving the name Calvin. Reaching a peak intensity of 50 mph (85 km/h) later that day, Calvin began to move north-northwest around the western periphery of a high pressure system located over extreme northern Mexico. Calvin then moved over cooler water and subsequently weakened to a minimal tropical storm. Located 98 mi (158 km) south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas on July 8, Calvin further weakened to a tropical depression and turned to the west. The system dissipated the following day. As a dying system, Calvin produced high clouds over California and Arizona.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dora
Based on satellite imagery and data from a nearby ship, Yamazuru, a tropical depression formed far away from land on July 10. Passing 254 mi (409 km) north of Clipperton Island, the depression began to strengthen under favorable atmospheric conditions, and was designated Tropical Storm Dora twelve hours after formation. Moving towards the west-northwest, Dora attained hurricane status on July 13; subsequently, the ship Amestelmolen reported seas of 30 ft (9.1 m), a minimum barometric pressure of 981 mbar (29.0 inHg), and 79 mph (127 km/h) winds as it passed 29 mi (47 km) north of the storm's center.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Dora
As Dora reached its peak intensity of 90 mph (150 km/h) on June 14, a well-defined eye became apparent on satellite imagery, and the storm turned more towards the west. Cooler ocean temperatures below 74 °F (23 °C) subsequently caused the hurricane to weaken, and it was downgraded to a tropical storm on July 15. The storm's structure further deteriorated the following day, and Dora dissipated over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) southwest of Cabo San Lucas, without affecting land.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Eugene
Following Dora's dissipation, a new tropical depression formed 300 mi (480 km) west of the Mexican coastline. While retaining its intensity, the depression moved west-northwest before bending towards the southwest as it intensified into Tropical Storm Eugene on July 18. Above exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures of 85 °F (29 °C), Eugene slowly intensified. After passing 83 mi (134 km) south of Socorro Island, the storm accelerated west-northwest, reaching a peak intensity of 50 mph (80 km/h) early on June 19.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Eugene
Shortly thereafter, the system began to meander over cooler ocean temperatures, and weakened to a tropical depression on July 20. After changing little in intensity for nearly 24 hours, Eugene dissipated on July 21 while located 700 mi (1,100 km) west of the Baja California Peninsula, over water temperatures of 73 °F (23 °C). There were no reports of any effects attributed to the storm.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Fernanda
Fernanda originated from an area of showers and thunderstorms that gained sufficient organization to be designated a tropical depression on August 6. Moving rapidly towards the west, the system passed 126 mi (203 km) north of Clipperton Island. Above warm ocean temperatures, the depression strengthened to become a tropical storm twenty-one hours after formation, and after briefly turning towards the west-northwest, Fernanda attained hurricane status on August 9.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Fernanda
A well-defined eye associated with the hurricane became visible, and the system reached its peak intensity as a 105 mph (165 km/h) Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale on August 10. Turning towards the northwest, Fernanda began to enter an area of cooler ocean temperatures and higher wind shear, subsequently weakening. On August 11, Fernanda was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, and then further to a tropical storm later that evening. By midday the following day, Fernanda had become a tropical depression, and dissipated early on August 13 without any effects on land.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Greg
An area of intense thunderstorm activity left the southern coast of Mexico in mid-August. About 184 mi (296 km) south of Socorro Island, it formed on August 13. Over warm sea surface temperatures, the depression steadily intensified; it was upgraded to Tropical Storm Greg at 1800 UTC. As the storm was moving on the southwest periphery of an area of high pressure, it curved west-northwest. Meanwhile, the storm passed 34 mi (55 km) south of Clarion Island at 2100 UTC on August 14. After turning toward the west, the storm's motion slowed.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Greg
After maintaining its intensity while still a minimal tropical storm, Greg turned to the west-southwest for a day, only to resume its westerly course. As its speed increased a little, Greg gradually strengthened. Based on data from the ship Chapa, Greg was upgraded into a hurricane early on August 20. However, increased wind shear caused the storm to rapidly weaken back into a tropical storm. At this time, the tropical storm was located over 78 °F (26 °C) water. Shortly thereafter, Greg moved into the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC)'s area of responsibility.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Greg
It continued to weaken, and was only a minimal tropical storm by the afternoon of August 21. Although Greg weakened into a depression, it maintained a well-defined center of circulation for an additional 24 hours until dissipating at 1800 UTC on August 22 over 600 mi (970 km) east-northeast of Hawaii.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Hilary
Based on a report from a cargo ship, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center upgraded a tropical disturbance into a tropical depression roughly 400 mi (640 km) west of the Mexican coast at 2105 UTC on August 21. Four hours later, the system strengthened into Tropical Storm Hilary. After turning towards the west, it passed about 50 mi (80 km) south of Socorro Island. Even though Hilary developed a well-defined eye late on August 23, the cyclone was not upgraded into a hurricane until the next afternoon.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Hilary
Accelerating, Hilary reached its peak strength of 85 mph (140 km/h) while located 250 miles (400 km) west of Cabo San Lucas. Moving west, Hilary began to weaken over 84 °F (29 °C) water. Late on August 28, nearly 24 hours following Hilary's downgrade into a tropical depression, the tropical cyclone dissipated far from land.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Irwin
A tropical depression formed 155 mi (249 km) west of Acapulco on August 27. Over 85 °F (29 °C) water, the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Irwin the next day. By August 25, Tropical Storm Irwin had peaked in intensity as a moderate tropical storm, then weakened as it moved over 83 °F (28 °C) sea-surface temperatures. Less than 100 mi (160 km) southeast of Baja California, Irwin was downgraded into a depression. Turning west-northwest, Irwin made landfall about 50 mi (80 km) south of La Paz on August 30. After moving offshore the next day, Irwin dissipated. No damage was reported.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Jova
Following two weeks of inactivity, a tropical depression formed at 1200 UTC September 14 while located in the middle of the Eastern Pacific. Above very warm ocean temperatures, the depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Jova six hours later. Jova rapidly intensified, and developed an eye late on September 15. Early on September 17, Jova peaked as a mid-level Category 1 hurricane. After briefly turning to the west-southwest, Jova turned back towards the west while weakened into a tropical storm. On September 19, the cyclone turned west-northwest, and dissipated about 100 miles (160 km) north of Hawaii on September 21. Due to its track just north of Hawaii and rapidly weakening in the Central Pacific, its only effect on the Hawaiian Islands was to disrupt the trade winds, leading to an increase in humidity.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Knut
While Jova was weakening, a tropical disturbance formed within 300 mi (480 km) the Mexican coast. Moving west-northwest, a tropical depression formed on September 19, and became a tropical storm six hours later. Above 85 °F (29 °C) sea surface temperatures, Knut continued to intensify. After turning north, Tropical Storm Knut reached its peak strength of 65 mph (120 km/h). Between a high-pressure area and a weak upper-level trough, Knut turned sharply to the east. After passing 100 mi (160 km) south of the Baja California Peninsula, the tropical storm weakened over cooler water. Knut dissipated as it made landfall in Mexico, at 1330 UTC on September 21. No damage was reported.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Lidia
A tropical depression formed on October 6 ahead of a front; the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Lidia on October 7. Lidia moved generally north, and reached its peak wind speed of 50 mph (85 km/h). Despite encountering warm ocean temperatures, Lidia slowly weakened as it moved towards southern Baja California Peninsula. The tropical cyclone passed over the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula on 1700 UTC October 7; at the time of the landfall Lidia was located about 65 mi (105 km) northwest of Cabo San Lucas.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Lidia
Two hours later, Lidia entered the Gulf of California, and turned to the northeast. Lidia made landfall on the shores of Sinaloa just south of Los Mochis on October 8, with winds of 45 mph (75 km/h). The remnants of Lidia continued their northeast track, ultimately emerging into the Southern United States, bringing moisture to extreme southeastern Arizona.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Lidia
Heavy rain caused flooding that cut off seven towns in Sinaloa from the outside world. It also contaminated the water supply in Culiacán, leaving many without clean drinking water. Almost a hundred villages and two dams were flooded, The Rio Fuerte burst its banks and flooded sixty settlements. These rains sent water down a dry river bed, killing 40 people, mostly children. In one village, six soldiers died. In the northern part of Sinaloa, 42 were confirmed killed and 76 were missing. Around Los Mochis, four people were killed, where 800 houses were destroyed. In Culiacán, eleven people were killed.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Lidia
The total death toll from Tropical Storm Lidia was determined to exceed 73, which mostly occurred in rural areas. Losses to cattle, crops, and fishing vessels were more than $80 million (equivalent to $227.73 million in 2020). Due to the damage wrought by both Lidia and Norma, the Governor of Sinaloa, declared his state a disaster area.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Tropical Storm Max
On October 7, a tropical depression developed several hundred miles to the south of the Mexican coastline. Under favorable environmental conditions, the depression began to organize, and became a tropical storm twelve hours after formation, receiving the name Max. Moving north-northwestward, Max reached a peak intensity of 50 mph (80 km/h) briefly on October 9 before the system began to move into an area with cooler ocean temperatures and stronger wind shear. Early on October 10, Max weakened to a tropical depression, and dissipated during the afternoon hours of the same day without any effects to land.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Norma
Early on October 8, a tropical depression had developed far from land. Moving northwest, the storm intensified into Tropical Storm Norma at 0600 UTC. On 1800 UTC October 9, the EPHC upgraded the storm into a hurricane. Subsequently, Norma began to undergo a period rapid intensification; the storm soon reached major hurricane status. The storm reached its peak of 125 mph (205 km/h) at 1800 UTC on October 10. The storm began to accelerate  while weakening.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Norma
After briefly re-intensifying late on October 1, Hurricane Norma made landfall just northeast of Mazatlán with winds of 105 mph (155 km/h) at 1000 UTC on October 12. Although the storm quickly dissipated over land, a second area of low pressure formed over western Texas early on October 13 before the system itself was absorbed by a frontal system on October 14.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Norma
Prior to landfall 5,000 people evacuated, thus only one deaths was reported (a fisherman drowned when his boat capsized in the storm). However, the hurricane caused more devastation in the flood-ravaged region. Agriculture was disrupted, and cattle were killed, causing at least $24 million (1981 USD) in crop damage. Torrential rains caused serious flooding north of Mazatlán. Five thousand two hundred residents need to be evacuated from low-lying areas. The remnants of the storm moved into Texas and Oklahoma. The heavy rainfall caused two rivers to reach flood-stage.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Norma
A total of five people were killed in the United states, three of these deaths occurred in Fort Worth. During October 13 and 14, a total of 13 tornadoes were reported in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma, including a F2 tornado in McLennan that injured four people and caused $25 million in damage. In Oklahoma, 60 bridges were washed away due to flooding. Total damage in Texas was estimated at $50 million (1981 USD).


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Hurricane Otis
On October 24, the season's last tropical cyclone developed to the south of the Mexican coastline. Moving towards the west-northwest, the depression quickly strengthened into a tropical storm, receiving the name Otis. Turning towards the north and eventually northeast, Otis steadily strengthened, and intensified into a Category 1 hurricane early on October 26. Sharply bending back towards the west-northwest, and eventually the north, Otis reached a peak intensity of 85 mph (135 km/h) before higher wind shear and cooler sea surface temperatures began to impede on the system's organization. On October 29, Otis skirted the coast of Jalisco as a minimal Category 1 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm. The next day, Otis made landfall near Mazatlán before being absorbed by a frontal system.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
Per the Japan Meteorological Agency, Typhoon Freda briefly existed in the basin as a dissipating tropical storm before being absorbed by another extratropical low on March 17, but the system isn't recognized by neither NHC nor CPHC.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Systems, Other systems
On August 4, a tropical depression developed 800 mi (1,300 km) southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Despite being over warm sea surface temperatures, the depression dissipated the following day as wind shear began to significantly increase. Thus, the depression was never named, and never had any effects on land. Two weeks later, a tropical disturbance developed 210 mi (340 km) south-southeast of Socorro Island drifted north-northwest of a couple of days before organizing into a tropical depression a short distance southwest of Cabo San Lucas. Despite being located over warm sea surface temperatures, it failed to intensify. Tropical Depression Nine-E moved westward for 12 hours prior to dissipation.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Storm names
The following names were used for named storms that formed in the eastern Pacific in 1981. Names that were not assigned are marked in gray. This was the first time most of these names were used since the modern lists began, except for Fernanda, Hilary, and Norma which were previously used in the old four-year lists. No names were retired, so this list was used again in the 1987 season.


1981 Pacific hurricane season, Storm names
In addition, 1981 was the first season in which the modern set of central Pacific hurricane naming lists was in effect, though no storms were named during the season.


1981 Pacific typhoon season
The 1981 Pacific typhoon season was a slightly above average season that produced 29 tropical storms, 13 typhoons and two intense typhoons. The season ran throughout 1981, though most tropical cyclones typically develop between May and October. The season's first named storm, Freda, developed on March 12 while the final storm, Lee, dissipated on December 29. Tropical cyclones only accounted for 12 percent of the rainfall in Hong Kong this season, the lowest percentage for the protectorate since 1972.


1981 Pacific typhoon season
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean to the north of the equator between 100°E and 180th meridian. Within the northwestern Pacific Ocean, there are two separate agencies that assign names to tropical cyclones which can often result in a cyclone having two names.


1981 Pacific typhoon season
The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) will name a tropical cyclone should it be judged to have 1-minute sustained wind speeds of at least 65 km/h (40 mph) anywhere in the basin, whilst the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) assigns names to tropical cyclones which move into or form as a tropical depression in their area of responsibility located between 135°E and 115°E and between 5°N–25°N regardless of whether or not a tropical cyclone has already been given a name by the JTWC. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) also monitors the whole basin and uses the 10-minute sustained wind scale. Moreover, the JTWC also assigns a number with a "W" suffix when a system has strengthened into a tropical depression.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Season summary
The season started with Freda, which became the fourth March typhoon for the basin since 1959. The system passed west of Wake Island before dissipating on March 17. Gerald formed in mid-April near an upper-level low, and recurved just east of Guam bringing the island heavy rainfall. Holly formed in the middle of the tropical Pacific Ocean in late April, and dissipated far from land on May 7. Ike was the first system to form in the South China Sea, living during the second week of June before recurving across Taiwan and becoming an extratropical cyclone.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Season summary
June formed during the third week of June, and moved just east of Taiwan before approaching Japan as a nontropical cyclone. Kelly crossed the Philippines on July 1, moving into Vietnam on July 4. Lynn moved nearby the northern Philippines before making landfall in mainland China on July 7. Maury tracked near Taiwan, China, and eventually Vietnam as a remnant low during the third and fourth weeks of July. Nina formed on the northeast fringe of Maury, also moving into mainland China on July 23, three days after Maury. Ogden moved into Japan at the end of July, approaching Korea early in August.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Season summary
Tropical Depression 11 formed in the tropical west Pacific, dissipating well east of Asia on August 2. Phyllis formed and remained southeast of Japan on August 3 and August 4. Roy meandered around the South China Sea between August 3 and August 9. Susan moved northwest through the open western Pacific during the second week of August. Thad moved north-northeast through its life cycle, moving through Japan on August 23. Vanessa moved northeast through the open western Pacific in mid-August. Warren moved west-northwest through Hainan Island and northern Vietnam during the third week of August. Agnes moved extremely close to eastern China before dissipating on September 1. Bill recurved southeast of Japan during the first week of September. Clara moved west-northwest near Luzon and into mainland China during the third week of September.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Season summary
Doyle moved through the central Pacific during the third week of September. Elsie recurved south of Japan during the beginning of October. Fabian moved westward through the Philippines into Vietnam during the second week of October. Gay recurved near the Japanese coast on October 21 and 22. A tropical depression moved west-northwest into Vietnam on November 11. Hazen moved across the Central Philippines into mainland China by November 23. Irma moved across the northern Philippines and then south of Taiwan during late November. Jeff recurved east of mainland Asia during late November. Kit moved erratically westward towards the Philippines during mid-December. Lee moved across the central Philippines, dissipating across the South China Sea on December 28.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Freda
Freda was the first tropical cyclone in the western Pacific in 1981 and the fourth typhoon to occur in March since 1959. The incipient disturbance was nearly stationary near the Gilbert Islands for a few days, before drifting northwest and slowly intensifying. During the morning of the March 11 it was upgraded to a tropical depression. It tracked along the periphery of the subtropical ridge with slow development for the next few days. On March 14 intensification became more rapid and Freda became a typhoon.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Freda
Passing 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of Wake Island with maximum sustained winds of 100 knots (190 km/h) intensity, the island sustained wind gusts to typhoon force and waves to 6 metres (20 ft). As the typhoon moved more northeast, the cyclone weakened, and Freda was absorbed by March 17 into another extratropical cyclone.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Gerald
This cyclone initially formed in response to a mid to upper level cyclone southeast of Ponape on April 12. Thunderstorms developed near the upper level system, and an outflow pattern was present on satellite imagery, but a surface circulation did not materialize until April 15. The system became a tropical depression by that night. Steady intensification was seen until around midday on April 17 when a new upper level high formed to its east, inducing southerly vertical wind shear. Weakening began while the storm was located about 130 kilometres (81 mi) east of Guam late on April 18.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Gerald
Moderate to heavy rainfall did occur on the island, with 76.2 millimetres (3.00 in) to 127 millimetres (5.0 in) being measured. After passing Guam, the remaining thunderstorm activity sheared away, leaving a low-level swirl which moved northwest. The cyclone was absorbed by a system approaching in the main belt in the Westerlies on April 19.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Holly
A broad area of thunderstorm straddled the equator around the International Date Line beginning on April 21. A tropical system in the southern hemisphere was interacting with a strong system in the main belt of the Westerlies. Around this time, convective increased north of the equator, with a low level circulation forming near  late on April 25. By midday on April 29 it had become a tropical depression as it continued to move westward. Holly became a tropical storm on April 30 and almost became a typhoon late on May 1. Southwesterly vertical wind shear began to weaken the cyclone thereafter, causing Holly to dissipate over the open Pacific Ocean.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Ike (Bining)
This cyclone formed in the South China Sea at the end of the monsoon transition season. Around noon on June 8 a broad area of lowered pressures was seen west of the Philippines. Moderate northeast wind shear displaced its mid-level center as far as 110 kilometres (68 mi) from the surface center, which retarded development. By midday on June 9, Ike strengthened into a tropical storm. On its closest approach to Hong Kong, winds gusted to 42 knots (78 km/h) at Tate's Cairn.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Ike (Bining)
An upper trough in the main belt of the Westerlies moved across Asia, which turned Ike to the northeast. Intensification continued as it accelerated, and Ike became a typhoon late on June 12. The cyclone reached its peak intensity as it made landfall on the island of Taiwan. Weakening substantially over the mountainous island, Ike attempted slight tropical redevelopment before it became an extratropical cyclone late on the morning of June 14. Eight perished due to Ike, four from Taiwan and four from the Philippines.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon June (Kuring)
A tropical upper tropospheric trough (TUTT) was located over the Philippine Sea early in June. In response, a tropical disturbance formed in Palau. An upper cyclone to the disturbance's northeast led to development of the disturbance. As the TUTT cell moved to the disturbance's northwest, intensification sped up and a low level circulation center formed on June 15 about 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of Palau. By the afternoon of June 17, the cyclone had become a tropical storm. June tracked northwest towards Taiwan, and by late on June 19, had reached its maximum intensity as a typhoon. About 75 kilometres (47 mi) southeast of Taipei, June recurved to the north, and gradually weakened. While approaching Japan, the cyclone linked up with a frontal boundary and became an extratropical cyclone late on June 22.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Kelly (Daling)
A tropical disturbance organized into a tropical depression east of the Philippines on June 28. It tracked westward, reaching tropical storm on June 30 before hitting the central Philippines. Kelly weakened over the islands, but restrengthened in the South China Sea, attaining typhoon status on July 2. The typhoon hit southern Hainan Island on July 3, bringing wind gusts to 54 knots (100 km/h) at Tate's Cairn in Hong Kong.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Kelly (Daling)
The cyclone then crossed the Gulf of Tonkin as a weakening tropical storm, and made landfall on northern Vietnam on July 4 as a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 35 knots (65 km/h). Kelly dissipated the next day, after causing torrential flooding and mudslides, resulting in 200 casualties and leaving thousands homeless.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Lynn (Elang)
On the morning of June 27, an area of enhanced thunderstorm activity was spotted just south of Ponape along a weak portion of the monsoon trough. As Tropical Storm Kelly led to some vertical wind shear over the system, the disturbance was slow to organize. A low-pressure area formed late on June 29. By late on July 2, Kelly's negative influence on the disturbance abated, allowing for further development. Early on July 3, the system developed into a tropical depression, and by afternoon Lynn was a tropical storm.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Lynn (Elang)
Previously moving at a fast pace to the west, the cyclone slowed as it passed by the northern fringe of the Philippines. Inflow from the South China Sea led to convection focusing in the terrain of the Philippines, which distorted Lynn's convective pattern. Lynn was the second tropical cyclone is three days to impact the Philippines. The cyclone took 30 hours to track across the northern portion of the archipelago.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Lynn (Elang)
It took until late on July 4 for the storm to recover from its Philippine interaction and redevelop a central dense overcast and quicken its pace to the west across Luzon. Turning northwest across the South China Sea, light to moderate easterly wind shear prevented Lynn's development into a typhoon. The cyclone struck Chuan-Tao, China early on July 7. Very heavy rainfall led to mudslides which took 22 lives and left tens of thousands homeless. In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 78 knots (144 km/h) at Tai O, and a total of 118.0 millimetres (4.65 in) of rainfall was recorded at Cheung Chau. Severe Tropical Storm Lynn had the Hong Kong observatory put the Typhoon 8 signal up for 28 Hours and 45 minutes.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Maury (Huling)
On the morning of July 14, satellite imagery revealed an area of convection about 205 kilometres (127 mi) north-northwest of Yap. By late on July 16, a mid-level center has formed in association with the thunderstorm complex, which was moving northwest. Ship reports indicated the system had become a tropical storm by the morning of July 18. Southwesterly vertical wind shear impacted Maury, which led to its tilting to the northeast with height. By early on July 19 the wind shear lessened, and the cyclone's structure improved.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Maury (Huling)
While approaching China, a strong ridge to its northwest deflected the storm on a more westerly heading, sending the center toward Taiwan. This ridge also led to weak east-northeasterly vertical wind shear, which halted development. By late on July 19, the cyclone's center moved ashore northern Taiwan. Heavy rains led to significant flooding and the loss of 38 lives. Moving through the Formosa Strait as a weak tropical storm, Maury made a second landfall near Fu-Chou, China on the morning of July 20.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Maury (Huling)
Its remains were dragged southwest by an upper cyclone to its southeast back into the Gulf of Tonkin. By late on July 23, the circulation center moved back to the north near Yin-Chou, China and dissipated inland late on July 24. Its former thunderstorm activity decoupled from the surface center while still offshore and moved inland near Nam Định, Vietnam before dissipating over Laos late on July 24.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Nina (Ibiang)
The eastern portion of the large convective mass from Maury led to Nina's formation. It was first noted late on July 20 to the east of Taiwan. As it moved northwest around northern Taiwan late on the morning of July 22. By late afternoon a surface low formed with enough convective activity to be designated a tropical depression. Moving northwest at 12 knots (22 km/h), the cyclone briefly became a tropical storm before nearly land and weakening back into a tropical depression. Early on the morning of July 23, its center made landfall northwest of Hsia-p'u, China before quickly dissipating in mountainous terrain inland.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Ogden
An area of convection active for the previous 48 hours led to the formation of a low level circulation near  early on July 27. Gradual intensification ensued, and the system developed into a tropical depression that evening, a tropical storm on July 28, and a typhoon by July 31 as it moved west-northwest. The cyclone struck southern Kyūshū, in Japan, early on July 31 which weakened the cyclone. The tropical storm then moved into the East China Sea which continuing to spin down. Upper-level wind shear took its toll, leading to its weakening into a tropical depression and its ultimate dissipation in the Yellow Sea along the west coast of Korea.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm 11W
Both Tropical Storm 11W and Tropical Storm Phyllis were associated with the same synoptic scale feature, similar to Maury and Nina. On July 30 the monsoon trough extended from the Northern Marianas islands southeast toward Palau. Two circulations were at opposite ends of the trough. Tropical Storm 11W formed north of Guam late on July 31. Moving northeast, the tropical depression experienced vertical wind shear as the upper anticyclone fostering development accelerated faster than the tropical depression. This led to dissipation by late morning on August 2.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Phyllis
A second circulation along the monsoon trough which spawned Tropical Storm 11W was noted north of Palau. By late on August 3 it had developed into Tropical Storm Phyllis. Tracking northward at 11 knots (20 km/h), the cyclone intensified slowly due to westerly vertical wind shear. Increased vertical wind shear from the southeast and cooler sea surface temperatures led to the decline of Phyllis late on August 4, and it dissipated as a tropical cyclone early on August 5. Its remains tracked northeast, merging with an extratropical cyclone offshore Japan. Eleven perished during Phyllis, with 22,500 people being left homeless across Japan.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Roy (Miling)
The initial disturbance formed east of Vietnam during the first few days of August. By August 2, a low level circulation was present. Moving slowly to the north, the low-pressure area developed central convection. By late on August 4, the disturbance strengthened into a tropical depression before reaching tropical storm strength on August 5. Easterly shear began soon afterwards, and Roy's circulation center became exposed well to the east of the main convection. This caused its subsequent weakening and dissipation before reaching Hainan Island. Winds gusted to 41 knots (76 km/h) on the northwest side of Hong Kong's airport.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Susan
The monsoon trough became well-established along 20 degrees north latitude. To the east of Phyllis, part of the monsoon trough shifted east towards Wake Island while the western portion moved north with Phyllis. Early on August 7, a tropical disturbance was noted about 110 kilometres (68 mi) north of Wake Island. During this time, Wake experienced gale-force winds and heavy rainfall. The low level center became exposed for a time, though gales continued. By late on August 8, convection at the edge of the surface low strengthened as the vertical wind shear weakened.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Susan
At this point, the gale center was deemed to be a tropical cyclone, and was named Susan. The storm tracked north until reaching 30 degrees north latitude, before turning northwest towards a weak cold front. Early on August 11, Susan entrained cooler and drier air from behind the frontal zone which led to a significant reduction in thunderstorm activity. A warm core ridge building to its northeast forced the storm on a more west-northwest course, and as a second cold front approached, Susan recurved into the boundary, becoming an extratropical cyclone during the late morning of August 13.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Thad (Openg)
An active monsoon trough spawned three tropical cyclones within 48 hours beginning on August 16. Thad was the first of the trio, initially noted on August 10 near . On August 15, limited outflow was witnessed over its low level circulation. The system developed into a tropical depression late on August 16. Thad moved north and northeast, maturing into a typhoon by late morning on August 18. On August 22 Thad accelerated northward between a subtropical ridge to its east and a deepening shortwave to its west, striking eastern Japan with a forward motion near 45 knots (83 km/h). Thereafter, the cyclone rapidly transitioned into an extratropical cyclone by late on August 23. Twenty died during Thad's passage of Japan.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Severe Tropical Storm Vanessa
This system developed about 110 kilometres (68 mi) south of Marcus Island near the merger of the monsoon trough and a sharp surface trough brought into the region by Susan. Thunderstorm activity increased in the area on August 12, the next system up the monsoon trough from Thad. Once Vanessa freed itself from nearby troughs of low pressure, it lost one of its primary outflow channels and its northeastward movement subsequently exposed the system to the main belt of the westerlies. Within two days of formation as a tropical cyclone, Vanessa was already devoid of convection and transitioning to an extratropical cyclone on the morning of August 19. The exposed surface circulation was tracked an additional couple days, merging with a mid-latitude system near  on the morning of August 21.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Warren
The initial disturbance which led to Warren's formation formed within the monsoon trough on August 14. Strong northeasterly wind shear halted further development for the next few days. By August 17 the vertical wind shear relaxed, and thunderstorms increased south of the center. Moving slowly westward, the system became a tropical storm on the afternoon of August 18. Warren tracked over Hainan Island, and into the Gulf of Tonkin. Intensification renewed, but maximum sustained winds leveled off at 45 knots (83 km/h). The cyclone made its final landfall near Nam Định, Vietnam on August 20 and dissipated rapidly that evening.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Agnes (Pining)
On August 23, a well-defined Tropical Upper Tropospheric Trough moved westward from the International Date Line. On August 24, a surface cyclone developed in its vicinity near Wake Island. An extensive area of disorganized thunderstorm activity developed on its southwest side initially. As the convection moved westward, upper-level outflow improved northeast of Guam. A well-defined mid-level cyclone passed just north of the island on the morning of August 26. A low level center began to form as the area moved northwest of Guam.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Agnes (Pining)
By the early morning of August 27, a tropical depression had formed about 600 kilometres (370 mi) west-northwest of Guam. Development continued, and the system became a tropical storm that evening. Moving west-northwestward, Agnes became a typhoon on the morning of August 29. The following day, the intensifying typhoon passed 165 kilometres (103 mi) southwest of Okinawa. Entering a region of hostile northerly vertical wind shear, Agnes began to weaken.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Agnes (Pining)
Its central convection was almost completely gone by the morning of September 2. Agnes remained well south of Korea until September 3, when it unleashed a torrent of rainfall, the heaviest of the 20th century up to that time, when 711.2 millimetres (28.00 in) fell upon the peninsula. Agnes' remains passed through the Korea Strait into the Sea of Japan by September 4. A total of 139 lives were taken by Agnes.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Bill
The initial disturbance formed about 550 kilometres (340 mi) east-southeast of Marcus Island on September 1. A compact system, with an area of central convection 280 kilometres (170 mi) wide, Bill rapidly spun up into a tropical storm on September 3, and typhoon on September 4. Its central pressure was quite high for winds of that intensity due to the pressure gradient between the cyclone and the subtropical ridge to its northeast. The typhoon followed a classic parabolic track around the periphery of the subtropical ridge east of Japan, weakening back into a tropical storm on September 7. Rapid extratropical transition occurred as Bill interacted with the main belt of the Westerlies, and by midnight, Bill became an extratropical cyclone.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Clara (Rubing)
The monsoon trough spawned a tropical depression on September 13 well east of the Philippines. The depression moved to the west-northwest, strengthening into a tropical storm on September 16 and a typhoon on September 18. Clara rapidly intensified to peak winds of 120 knots (220 km/h) on September 19 before brushing northern Luzon. Its circulation disrupted, Clara steadily weakened as it continued to the northwest, hitting southeast China on the 21st as a typhoon with winds of 70 knots (130 km/h). In Hong Kong, winds gusted to 51 knots (94 km/h) at Cheung Chau. Clara caused extensive damage and 141 deaths, leaving thousands homeless from the heavy rains.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Doyle
Like Bill, Doyle was a small typhoon that spent its life out over the open Pacific Ocean. Its initial disturbance was first detected near  on September 18. The cyclone built down to the surface while moving westward, and Doyle became a tropical storm on the afternoon of September 20 and a typhoon the following day. Recurving around the subtropical ridge, Doyle accelerated rapidly northeastward, weakening over cool waters as it was merging with a frontal zone and becoming an extratropical cyclone during the early morning of September 24 near .


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Elsie (Tasing)
The monsoon trough became diffuse on September 19 and September 20 in the wake of Typhoons Clara and Doyle. A small thunderstorm area formed near  late on the morning of September 22, which slowly developed into a tropical depression early on September 25. Development was steady into a tropical storm later that day, a typhoon on the morning of September 26, and a super typhoon during the afternoon of September 27, maintaining that intensity into September 30. Elsie moved on a parabolic curve around the subtropical ridge to its northeast and east, moving offshore Japan as a typhoon on October 1 and October 2. By October 2, interaction with the upper trough which led to its recurvature also transitioned the typhoon into an extratropical cyclone.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Fabian (Unsing)
An area of active yet disorganized thunderstorm activity was located northeast of Palau on October 6. Moving westward over the next several days, there was little change in organization until is approached Samar Island. Passing over the Philippines, it lost what convection it did have near the center, yet let to very heavy rainfall and flooding though a surface circulation was not apparent. Once the disturbance entered the South China Sea, it redeveloped and reached tropical depression strength on the afternoon of October 13. It crossed the sea and struck Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. By October 15, the cyclone had dissipated inland.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Gay (Walding)
The system formed within a very large area of thunderstorm activity. The system originally had a large circulation center, which led to problems in fixing its center via satellite imagery. The development of a large eye on October 20 finally led to the tracking of a more definitive, well-defined, circulation center. The typhoon brought relief to drought conditions in Okinawa, when 150 millimetres (5.9 in) of rainfall fell there are the circulation center of Gay moved by about 175 kilometres (109 mi) to their southeast. As it continued moving towards Japan, the center passed only 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Tokyo, bringing significant rainfall to central portions of the island archipelago. The typhoon ultimately merged with a second low pressure system moving eastward to the north of Japan.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Depression
This system was recognized by the Hong Kong Royal Observatory. A tropical depression formed in the South China Sea on November 7, and moved inland into Vietnam on the 10th.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Hazen (Yeyeng)
A tropical disturbance developed along a trough east of Guam. Its circulation improved, and a low pressure center formed on November 13. It became a tropical depression by the morning of November 14, and a tropical storm that evening. Moving on a general westward track across the western Pacific, it moved over northern Saipan on the afternoon of November 15, bringing gusts approaching typhoon force. Hazen moved about 110 kilometres (68 mi) north of Guam before reaching typhoon strength on early on November 16.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Hazen (Yeyeng)
Its intensity fluctuated on November 17 and November 18 as Hazen interacted with a nearby frontal zone. Weakening as it neared the Philippines, Hazen moved just south of Catanduanes Island, entering the South China Sea. Never recovering from the mountainous archipelago, Hazen struck Vietnam about 280 kilometres (170 mi) east-northeast of Hanoi, and dissipated as it entered southeast China.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Irma (Anding)
Super Typhoon Irma developed from the near-equatorial trough on November 17. As a tropical depression, it headed westward, and steadily intensified, first to a tropical storm on November 19, later to a typhoon on November 20. Irma quickly strengthened on November 22 to a super typhoon with maximum winds of 135 knots (250 km/h), but its outflow was disrupted by the Philippines to the southwest. Irma hit the northern Philippines on November 24 with maximum sustained winds of 85 knots (157 km/h), and rapidly weakened over the country. As a weakened tropical storm, Irma turned northeastward, where it was absorbed by a cold front on November 27. A total of 409 fatalities and $9 million in damage (1981 USD) can be attributed to the typhoon.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Tropical Storm Jeff (Binang)
A distinct surface circulation formed by November 18. Jeff became a tropical storm on November 23 on the heels of Irma and approaching Guam. It navigated through a break in the subtropical ridge and dissipated over cooler waters on November 26 due to increasing vertical wind shear well to the south of Japan.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Kit (Kadiang)
A strong and long lived tropical cyclone for December, the initial low level center for the system formed southwest of Ponape on December 4. By December 7, it had moved southwest of Truk without further development. By the morning of December 10, its structure was improving, and by the next afternoon a tropical depressions had formed. Late on December 11, it had evolved into a tropical storm. A slow moving system, Kit shifted from the northwest to a westerly heading, passing just south of Guam without any further development.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Kit (Kadiang)
Intensification resumed on the following two days reaching its first peak in intensity on December 16. The storm moved sharply northward for a second time at a slow rate of motion before resuming its westward motion due to a northeast surge in the trade winds. Reintensification occurred as the upper trough to its north acted as an outflow channel. Kit reached its peak intensity on the evening of December 17 before increasing westerlies aloft began to weaken the cyclone. On December 20, the surface circulation began to emerge south of its central convection.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Kit (Kadiang)
Thereafter, Kit was steered the low-level flow to the south and southwest as a deck of stratocumulus. On December 21. Kit became a tropical depression once more and by afternoon no longer qualified as a tropical cyclone. Late on December 22, the low level cloud swirl moved into Mindanao before dissipating.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Lee (Dinang)
While Kit was dissipating in the western Philippine Sea on December 21, a disturbed area of weather organized west of Truk. Strong northerlies previously diverted into Kit closed off a portion of the monsoon trough, with near gale-force winds wrapping around the convection. Development continued, and by the afternoon of December 22, the system became classified as a tropical depression. Tropical storm status was achieved that night. Moving west-northwest, Lee intensified rapidly into a typhoon on December 23 and reaching its peak intensity by December 24.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Systems, Typhoon Lee (Dinang)
Rapid weakening began as Lee crossed the Philippines, and the cyclone was once again a tropical storm by December 25 (Christmas Day). On December 28, all of the cyclone's convection was removed well east of the circulation center due to moderate to strong westerly vertical wind shear. Turning to the north, Lee dissipated as a tropical cyclone around 280 kilometres (170 mi) south of Hong Kong. A total of 188 perished during the cyclone's passage.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names
During the season 28 named tropical cyclones developed in the Western Pacific and were named by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, when it was determined that they had become tropical storms. These names were contributed to a revised list which started on 1979.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Philippines
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration uses its own naming scheme for tropical cyclones in their area of responsibility. PAGASA assigns names to tropical depressions that form within their area of responsibility and any tropical cyclone that might move into their area of responsibility. Should the list of names for a given year prove to be insufficient, names are taken from an auxiliary list, the first 6 of which are published each year before the season starts. Names not retired from this list will be used again in the 1985 season. This is the same list used for the 1977 season. PAGASA uses its own naming scheme that starts in the Filipino alphabet, with names of Filipino female names ending with "ng" (A, B, K, D, etc.). Names that were not assigned/going to use are marked in gray.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Storm names, Retirement
It is unknown, but possibly due to damage, the name Hazen was retired and was later replaced by Hal, which was first used in the 1985 season.


1981 Pacific typhoon season, Season effects
This table will list all the storms that developed in the northwestern Pacific Ocean west of the International Date Line and north of the equator during 1981. It will include their intensity, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, and damage totals. Classification and intensity values will be based on estimations conducted by the JMA, the JTWC, and/or PAGASA. Peak wind speeds are in ten-minute sustained standards unless otherwise noted. All damage figures will be in 1981 USD. Damages and deaths from a storm will include when the storm was a precursor wave or an extratropical low.


1981 Palanca Awards
The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature winners in the year 1981 (rank/prize, title of winning entry, name of author).


1981 Pan American Men's Handball Championship
The 1981 Pan American Men's Handball Championship was the second edition of the tournament, held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 9 to 14 November 1981. It acted as the American qualifying tournament for the 1982 World Championship.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash
The 1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash occurred on July 31, 1981, when a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter of the Panamanian Air Force, with identity code FAP-205, crashed at Marta Hill, in the community of Coclesito, in adverse weather conditions while on its final approach to the airport. All seven people on board, including General Omar Torrijos Herrera, who led the country's military dictatorship between 1968 and 1981, were killed.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash
The investigation into the crash was surrounded by controversy and speculation about the circumstances of how the aircraft crashed. The crash occurred shortly after Ronald Reagan assumed office as President of the United States and three months after Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera died in similar circumstances.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Details of crash
At 10:44 a.m. on July 31, 1981, FAP-205 took off from the Rio Hato air base, headed for Coclesito airport, to visit local residents. At the controls were captain Azael Adames and sub-lieutenant Victor Rangel as co-pilot. The passengers on the flight were General Omar Torrijos Herrera, mechanic Carlos E. Rivera, Sergeant Ricardo Machazek, bodyguard assistant Jaime Correa, and dentist Teresa Ferreiro. The plane landed at Penonomé Airport at 10:55 a.m. for a stopover, which ended at 11:40 a.m. At that time, the flight was only 15 minutes from its final destination.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Details of crash
There is much controversy about how the plane crashed. It is known that the plane intended to land at Coclesito in very bad weather. It disappeared from radar between 11:55 a.m. and 12:05 p.m., but ATC did not declare an emergency for nearly a day, because of the limited nature of Panama's radar coverage at the time. The government knew about the plane's disappearance, but did not comment until the rescue mission was organized.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Details of crash
On August 1, the media reported the disappearance of the plane and the government declared the disappearance of Torrijos. At 11:30 p.m. of the same day, Panamanian authorities, with the support of the US military, found the first remains of the aircraft on Marta Hill, 3,100 feet above sea level. All seven people on board, including Torrijos, were killed. The plane, except for the tail section, was destroyed by the impact against the mountain.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Details of crash
The news about Torrijos' death caused a crisis in the military dictatorship and nationwide mourning in Panama, especially by the impoverished, because Torrijos' actions and popular reforms gave relatively more opportunities and advantages to them. On August 4, a state funeral was held for him in the Casco Viejo Metropolitan Cathedral. He was buried in Casco Viejo for a brief time, but later transferred to a mausoleum in the Canal Zone at Fort Amador, near Panama City.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations
After recovering the bodies, investigations were begun by Panamanian authorities and the FBI. Initially, investigators had some information about circumstances at the time of the accident:


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations
During the investigations, people living in Coclesito claimed that they heard two explosions but had seen nothing, because of the foggy conditions that were surrounding the town that day and informed to the representative Tulio Córdoba about what they heard. This information led to the formation of a rescue squadron of men and women who were living in the town to find the source of the explosion, but found nothing.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Speculations and release of report
Some people told investigators that the FAP-205 accident was an assassination plot. Some say that Noriega was involved in this, because of his desires to kill Torrijos, in order to rule the country and the National Guard of Panama (which later became the Panamanian Defense Forces). Others say that the CIA was to blame, because they had planned the assassination of Torrijos and Jaime Roldós with a plan called Falcon in Flight. Researchers denied those statements, qualifying them as "false".


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Speculations and release of report
In 1983, the inquiry into the accident concluded that the pilots on charge of the flight were to blame for the lack of situational awareness and poor decision-making, which led to the crash.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Speculations and release of report
The cause of this crash was the lack of situational awareness of the pilots in charge regarding vertical navigation, weather conditions, and proximity to terrain, which lead as a consequence to the placing of the airliner into a collision path against the mountain.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Speculations and release of report
Also, they concluded that the plane was in perfect conditions at the time of the crash.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Speculations and release of report
The plane had no mechanical failure at the time of the crash and no signs explosives' residues and fuel contamination  were detected during the inspection of the wreckage, as well of remains of a in-flight fire.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Criticism and controversy
The general public and relatives of the victims did not accept the conclusions of the final report, and they accused the military government of a cover-up; moreover, witnesses in Coclesito complained that investigators didn't consider their accounts regarding the crash, excluding their testimonies from the official report. During the final years of the dictatorship, public opinion continued claiming that the investigation should be reopened to find the real cause of the crash, because they claimed that the causes were lacking of sustainable evidence. However, the documents about the crash went missing during the U.S. invasion of Panama and were never found.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Criticism and controversy
After the fall of the military dictatorship in Panama in 1989, in pre-trial hearings in Miami in May 1991, Manuel Noriega's attorney, Frank Rubino, was quoted as saying that "General Noriega has in his possession documents showing attempts of assassinations to him [Noriega] and Mr. Torrijos by secret agencies of the United States, such as the CIA." Those documents were not allowed as evidence in the trial, because the presiding judge agreed with the U.S. government's claim that their public mention would violate the Classified Information Procedures Act.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Criticism and controversy
More recently, former businessman John Perkins alleged in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man that Torrijos was assassinated by American interests, who had had a bomb planted aboard his aircraft (by CIA-organized operatives). The alleged motive is that some American business leaders and politicians strongly opposed the negotiations between Torrijos and a group of Japanese businessmen led by Shigeo Nagano, who were promoting the idea of a new, larger, sea-level canal for Panama. Manuel Noriega, in America's Prisoner, claims that these negotiations had evoked an extremely unfavorable response in American circles.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Investigations, Criticism and controversy
However, these facts were not enough to start a new investigation for further proofs. As a consequence, the FAP-205 crash case was declared unsolved due to lack of evidence.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Aftermath
After the accident, Panama's Tocumen International Airport was renamed Omar Torrijos International Airport until 1989, when United States invaded the country to depose Noriega and its original name was re-established. The mountainous area where the wreckage of the airplane can be found is now part of Omar Torrijos National Park, which was opened in 1986 and is a major tourist attraction for its natural hiking trails. The rural house where Torrijos talked to the people of Coclesito and held his political meetings is now a memorial museum.


1981 Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crash, Aftermath
The day of Torrijos' death is commemorated each year by the PRD political party, along with the peasantry and indigenous class of Panama.


1981 Paris Open
The 1981 Paris Open was a men's Grand Prix tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 12th edition of the Paris Open (later known as the Paris Masters). It took place at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from 26 October through 1 November 1981.


1981 Paris Open, Finals, Doubles
Ilie Năstase /  Yannick Noah defeated  Andrew Jarrett /  Jonathan Smith 6–4, 6–4


1981 Paris Open – Doubles
Paolo Bertolucci and Adriano Panatta were the defending champions but lost in the first round to Jérôme Potier and Thierry Tulasne.


1981 Paris Open – Doubles
Ilie Năstase and Yannick Noah won in the final 6–4, 6–4 against Andrew Jarrett and Jonathan Smith.


1981 Paris Open – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


1981 Paris Open – Singles
Brian Gottfried was the defending champion but lost in the quarterfinals to Stan Smith.


1981 Paris Open – Singles
Mark Vines won in the final 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 against Pascal Portes.


1981 Paris Open – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


1981 Paris–Dakar Rally
1981 Dakar Rally also known as the 1981 Paris–Dakar Rally was the 3rd running of the Dakar Rally event. The car class was won by René Metge and Bernard Giroux. The motorcycle class was won by Hubert Auriol.


1981 Paris–Nice
The 1981 Paris–Nice was the 39th edition of the Paris–Nice cycle race and was held from 11 March to 18 March 1981. The race started in Meaux and finished at the Col d'Èze. The race was won by Stephen Roche of the Peugeot team.


1981 Paris–Roubaix
The 1981 Paris–Roubaix was ultimately settled in a 6-man sprint on the velodrome in Roubaix with Bernard Hinault prevailing in front of former four times winner Roger De Vlaeminck and reigning three times winner Francesco Moser.


1981 Paris–Roubaix
With about 8 kilometres to go, Bernard Hinault attempted to break away, but was hauled in by Hennie Kuiper acting for Roger De Vlaeminck. Bernard Hinault then crashed with few kilometres to go, but quickly got on his bike and re-joined the front group before the last kilometre.


1981 Paris–Roubaix
In the velodrome, Hennie Kuiper took the lead to favour the sprint of De Vlaeminck. Hinault took charge with about a lap to go and initiated a long sprint. In the end, he was able to resist the charge from Roger De Vlaeminck, and became the first French winner of the Paris–Roubaix for 25 years.


1981 Parramatta Eels season
The 1981 Parramatta Eels season was the 35th in the club's history. Coached by Jack Gibson and captained by Steve Edge, they competed in the 1981 NSWRFL Premiership.


1981 Pau Grand Prix
The 1981 Pau Grand Prix was a Formula Two motor race held on 8 June 1981 at the Pau circuit, in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. The Grand Prix was won by Geoff Lees, driving the Ralt. Thierry Boutsen finished second and Piero Necchi third.


1981 Peach Bowl (December)
The 1981 Peach Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Florida Gators. The game took place on December 31, 1981, resulting in a West Virginia win over Florida 26–6. The offensive MVP was Mickey Walczack of West Virginia and the defensive MVP was West Virginia's Don Stemple.


1981 Peach Bowl (December)
Florida coach Charlie Pell was so disappointed by his team's performance that he burned the game film and buried it in the Gators' practice field.


1981 Peach Bowl (January)
The 1980 (season) Peach Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Gobblers from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the Hurricanes from the University of Miami at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on January 2, 1981. The game was the final contest of the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 20–10 victory for Miami. Another game by the same name followed the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season and was played in December, 1981.


1981 Peach Bowl (January)
Virginia Tech was awarded a bid to the Peach Bowl as a reward for finishing 8–3 during the regular season, a record that included wins over nationally ranked teams such as the Clemson Tigers and the Virginia Cavaliers. Facing Virginia Tech was a familiar post-season opponent—Miami—whom the Gobblers had played in the 1966 Liberty Bowl, Tech's last bowl appearance prior to the Peach Bowl. Miami finished the regular season with an 8–3 record, including wins over Florida State and Florida.


1981 Peach Bowl (January)
The game kicked off at 3:00 p.m. EST under sunny skies and in temperatures of 46 °F (8 °C). Unlike the 1966 Liberty Bowl, in which Virginia Tech scored first, it was Miami who dominated the game's early going. The Hurricanes scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game and tacked on another touchdown early in the second quarter. Tech was held scoreless in the early going, thanks to two Miami interceptions at the goal line as Virginia Tech was threatening to score.


1981 Peach Bowl (January)
Late in the second quarter, Tech was finally able to get on the scoreboard with a field goal, but at halftime, the Miami Hurricanes led 14–3. After halftime, the Gobblers threatened Miami for the first time all game. Virginia Tech mounted an 80-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown, cutting Miami's lead to 14–10. But the Hurricanes' defense clamped down on any further offensive attempts by Virginia Tech and denied the Gobblers more points. Miami added two field goals: one in the third quarter and one in the fourth quarter that finally put the game out of reach for Virginia Tech. Miami's win was its first bowl victory since the 1966 Liberty Bowl, which also featured a Hurricane victory over Virginia Tech.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Miami
The Miami Hurricanes came into the 1980 college football season after a 5–6 season in 1979 under head coach Howard Schnellenberger. During that season, the team was nicknamed the "Jet Lag Kids" after they traveled an NCAA-record 28,000 miles (45,000 km), including a trip to the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan. While impressive, the season wasn't as successful as hoped, and Schnellenberger began his second season as coach hoping to improve upon the 5–6 effort despite what was the toughest schedule—in terms of opponents' winning percentage—in the country.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Miami
Miami got off to a good start doing just that as it raced out to four consecutive wins to begin the season, including a victory over nationally ranked rival No. 9 Florida State. On October 11, however, Miami traveled to South Bend, Indiana, to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and suffered its first loss of the season to the undefeated Irish, who would go on to be ranked No. 1 in the country.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Miami
This defeat was followed in succession by two others, but the Hurricanes were able to stop the slide on November 8 with a homecoming win over East Carolina. Miami added two more wins before the end of the season, and brought the regular season to a close with an overall record of 8–3.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Gobblers, like Miami, entered the 1980 season after accumulating a 5–6 record in 1979. Though the Gobblers traveled far less than Miami, they also hoped to improve upon their losing record. Tech was coached by Bill Dooley, who was entering his third season as head coach.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Virginia Tech
Like Schnellenberger, he got his team off to a fast start. In the season opener, Tech traveled to North Carolina to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake Forest had attended the Tangerine Bowl the previous year and was favored in the game against Tech. Despite those facts, the Gobblers won, 16–7.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Team selection, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech won its first four games of the regular season before falling to the nationally ranked Clemson Tigers on October 4. Tech recovered from the loss, defeating Rhode Island, then Virginia before a then-state record crowd of 52,000 people, but lost a second game, to Richmond on October 25. The Gobblers split their final three games of the regular season, winning two and losing one, and finished with a regular season record of 8–3. Tech's 6–0 record at Lane Stadium—its home stadium—was the best in school history. Tech's selection by the Peach Bowl was announced in the locker room following the team's final regular season game. The Peach Bowl representative present was mobbed by celebrating players chanting "Peach Bowl! Peach Bowl!" The representative later said, "I've never seen a wilder celebration."


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Miami offense
The Miami Hurricanes entered the Peach Bowl with a record-breaking offense that set the school mark for the most accumulated yards in school history with a total offensive mark of 3,756 yards. Leading the aerial portion of the Miami offense was sophomore quarterback Jim Kelly, who completed 109 of 206 passes for 1,519 yards, 11 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Kelly's 11 touchdowns tied the Miami record for most touchdowns in a season at that time. Kelly's favorite receiver was wide receiver Larry Brodsky, who caught 33 passes for 570 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season. One of Brodsky's touchdowns came on an 81-yard reception that tied the longest pass reception in the history of Miami football to that point.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Miami offense
The Hurricanes' ground offense was led by running back Smokey Roan, who carried the ball 152 times for 669 yards and five touchdowns. Roan was assisted by an able offensive line. Miami offensive tackle John Canei was named as an honorable mention to the Associated Press All-America team, which recognizes the best college football players in the country.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Miami defense
Miami's defense shut out one opponent, and held six other opponents to single touchdowns or field goals. Middle guard Jim Burt was one of the Hurricanes' defensive leaders, recovering four fumbles in a single game during the regular season. In recognition of this and other performances, Burt was named to the Associated Press All-America list. Also recognized was defensive back Fred Marion, who was named an honorable mention to the All-America list. Marion intercepted seven passes during the regular season, tying him for second in Miami history for the most interceptions in a season.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Virginia Tech offense
Throughout the regular season, Virginia Tech's offense was led by running back Cyrus Lawrence, who accumulated what was then a school record of 1,221 yards during the regular season. He also set a record for most carries by a Tech player in a season with 271. Tech quarterback Steve Casey was called the "key man in the Tech offense." Casey was Tech's starting quarterback and completed 97 of 176 passes during the regular season for 1,119 yards and 13 touchdowns. At the time, he ranked second among Tech's career passing leaders, and was considered to be an offensive threat.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Virginia Tech offense
Casey's favorite target was wide receiver Sidney Snell, who caught a Tech-record eight touchdown receptions during the regular season. Snell accounted for 568 yards on 43 receptions of all types. Tight end Rob Purdham only caught seven passes during the regular season, but four of the catches were for touchdowns.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Virginia Tech defense
The Tech defense was ranked among the top five in the country during the regular season, and set a school record for fewest points allowed during an 11-game regular season. Tech permitted just 109 points during the season, and allowed only 11 touchdowns in 11 games.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Virginia Tech defense
The leading tackler on the Tech defense was freshman linebacker Ashley Lee, who accumulated 95 tackles during the regular season. Lee was one of two freshman linebackers for the Gobblers during their record-breaking defensive season.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Pregame buildup, Virginia Tech defense
Virginia Tech's defense also featured Robert Brown, who accumulated 10 tackles, including two quarterback sacks, in the Gobblers' regular-season finale against the Virginia Military Institute. Tech head coach Bill Dooley lobbied in vain for Brown's inclusion in the annual All-America list recording the best college football players in the country, saying, "Robert Brown is an All-American football player ... but because he was a transfer student, he received no preseason buildup. ... I guarantee the people who have seen him know he's an All-American." Brown finished the regular season with 61 tackles, broke up four passes, and recovered three fumbles.


1981 Peach Bowl (January), Game summary
The 1981 Peach Bowl kicked off at 3 p.m. EST on January 2, 1981, at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia in front of a crowd estimated at 45,384 people. More than 14,000 of those present were estimated to be fans of Virginia Tech. Weather at kickoff was sunny, with a temperature of 46 °F (8 °C) and a north-northwest wind estimated at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h). The game was televised nationally on CBS, with Curt Gowdy, Hank Stram, and Frank Gleiber serving as the announcers for the television broadcast. William Parkinson was the referee, Robert Aebersold was the umpire, and the linesman was Richard Farina. Miami won the traditional pregame coin toss used to decide first possession and elected to receive the ball to begin the game.