 Tropical Storm Zita at peak intensity over the Leizhou Peninsula | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 20, 1997 |
| Dissipated | August 24, 1997 |
| Severe tropical storm | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 100 km/h (65 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 980 hPa (mbar); 28.94 inHg |
| Category 1-equivalent typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 140 km/h (85 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 980 hPa (mbar); 28.94 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 7 confirmed, 345 reported |
| Damage | $438 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Southern China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Pacific typhoon season | |
Severe Tropical Storm Zita, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Luming, was a short-lived tropical cyclone that killed seven people throughout southern China in August 1997. Originating from a tropical disturbance over the South China Sea on August 19, Zita tracked westward as it quickly strengthened within a region of light wind shear, attaining winds of 140 km/h (85 mph) as it made landfall along the Leizhou Peninsula early on August 22. Maintaining this intensity, the storm made a second landfall in northern Vietnam later that day before rapidly weakening over land. The remnants of Zita were last noted over extreme northwestern Vietnam on August 24.
Although a relatively weak system, Tropical Storm Zita caused significant damage in Southern China. There, seven people were known to have been killed by the storm and damage reached $433 million (1997 USD). However, a report from Dartmouth College states that 345 people were killed by the storm. In Vietnam, significantly less damage took place; no fatalities were reported and losses reached $5 million (1997 USD).