&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Gay_nov_20_1992_2115Z.jpg) Gay near peak intensity on November 20 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | November 14, 1992 |
| Extratropical | November 29, 1992 |
| Dissipated | December 1, 1992 |
| Violent typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 205 km/h (125 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 900 hPa (mbar); 26.58 inHg |
| Category 5-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 295 km/h (185 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 872 hPa (mbar); 25.75 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 total |
| Damage | None |
| Areas affected | Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Guam, Japan, Aleutian Islands |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon Gay, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Seniang, was the strongest and longest-lasting storm of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season and most intense globally in 1992. It formed on November 14 near the International Date Line from a monsoon trough, which also spawned two other systems. Typhoon Gay later moved through the Marshall Islands as an intensifying typhoon, and after passing through the country it reached its peak intensity over open waters. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated peak winds of 295 km/h (183 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 872 mb (25.8 inHg). However, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), which is the official warning center in the western Pacific, estimated winds of 205 km/h (127 mph), with a pressure of 900 mbar (27 inHg). Gay weakened rapidly after peaking because of interaction with another typhoon, and it struck Guam with winds of 160 km/h (99 mph) on November 23. The typhoon briefly re-intensified before weakening and becoming extratropical south of Japan on November 30.
The typhoon first affected the Marshall Islands, where 5,000 people became homeless and heavy crop damage was reported. The nation's capital of Majuro experienced power and water outages during the storm. There were no fatalities among Marshall Islands citizens, although the typhoon killed a sailor traveling around the world. When Gay struck Guam, it became the sixth typhoon of the year to affect the island. Most of the weaker structures had been destroyed during Typhoon Omar earlier in the year, resulting in little additional damage from Gay. Because of its substantial weakening, the typhoon had a disrupted inner-core and produced minimal rainfall. However, strong winds scorched the plants on Guam with saltwater, causing extensive defoliation. Further north, high waves from the typhoon destroyed a house on Saipan, and heavy rainfall in Okinawa, Japan, caused flooding and power outages.