&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:ZELDA_nov_29_1991_2040Z.jpg) Zelda near the Marshall Islands on November 29, 1991 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 27, 1991 |
| Extratropical | December 5, 1991 |
| Dissipated | December 7, 1991 |
| Severe tropical storm | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 110 km/h (70 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 975 hPa (mbar); 28.79 inHg |
| Category 1-equivalent typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 150 km/h (90 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Areas affected | Marshall Islands, Alaska, Canada |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1991 Pacific typhoon season | |
Severe Tropical Storm Zelda was the last tropical cyclone of the 1991 Pacific typhoon season; it struck the Marshall Islands on November 28. The area of low pressure that eventually became Zelda formed near the International Date Line, and strengthened into a tropical depression on November 27. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that the depression had reached tropical storm intensity near the Marshall Islands on November 28, thus naming it Zelda. On November 29, the storm quickly strengthened to 65 knots (120 km/h; 75 mph) according to the JTWC, equivalent to a Category 1 typhoon on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. It reached a peak of 80 kn (150 km/h; 90 mph) according to the JTWC, and 60 kn (110 km/h; 70 mph) according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), with a barometric pressure of 975 hectopascals (28.8 inHg). Zelda weakened into a tropical storm on December 2, and then a tropical depression two days later. The JTWC discontinued warnings late on December 4, while the JMA declared the storm to be extratropical the next day and continued to track until it crossed the International Date Line again on December 7.
Zelda caused significant damage in the Marshall Islands, and operations at Kwajalein Missile Range were disrupted severely. No deaths or injuries were reported. About 60 percent of homes were destroyed in Ebeye Island, leaving 6,000 people without residence. Nearly all crops on the islands were destroyed, and food and other supplies were contaminated by salt. Later in December, the president of the United States, George H. W. Bush declared the storm to be a major disaster, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with funding and repairs. The Marshall Islands also requested funds from other countries.