 Typhoon Paka at peak intensity on 18 December | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 28 November 1997 |
| Dissipated | 23 December 1997 |
| Very strong typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg |
| Category 5-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
| Highest winds | 295 km/h (185 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 901 hPa (mbar); 26.61 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | None |
| Damage | $580 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Pacific hurricane and typhoon seasons | |
Typhoon Paka, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Rubing, was an extremely powerful and long-lived storm that devastated Guam and the Marshall Islands in December 1997. One of the strongest Pacific typhoons ever recorded in the month of December, Paka was the last tropical cyclone of the 1997 Pacific hurricane and typhoon seasons and the last of a record eleven super typhoons that formed in 1997.[1] Paka, which is the Hawaiian name for Pat,[2] developed on 28 November from a trough well to the southwest of Hawaii. The storm tracked generally westward for much of its duration, and on 7 December it crossed into the western Pacific Ocean. Much of its track was characterized by fluctuations in intensity, and on 10 December the cyclone attained typhoon status as it crossed the Marshall Islands. On 16 December, Paka struck Guam and Rota with winds of 230 km/h (140 mph), and it strengthened further to reach peak winds on 18 December over open waters as the final super typhoon of the year. Subsequently, it underwent a steady weakening trend, and on 23 December Paka dissipated.
Typhoon Paka first impacted the Marshall Islands, where it dropped heavy rainfall and left US$80 million in damages. Later, it passed just north of Guam, where strong winds destroyed about 1,500 buildings and damaged 10,000 more; 5,000 people were left homeless, and the island experienced a complete power outage following the typhoon. Damage on the island totaled US$500 million, which warranted the retirement of its name. Paka also caused minor damage in the Northern Mariana Islands, and overall, the typhoon did not cause any reported fatalities.
- ^ Japan Meteorological Agency (2007). "Best Track for Western North Pacific Tropical Cyclones". Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
- ^ Benjamin C. Hablutzel; Hans E. Rosendal; James C. Weyman; Jonathan D. Hoag (1997). "The 1997 Central Pacific Tropical Cyclone Season" (PDF). Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Retrieved 14 April 2010.