 Typhoon Winnie near peak intensity on August 12 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 5, 1997 |
| Extratropical | August 20, 1997 |
| Dissipated | August 23, 1997 |
| Very strong typhoon | |
| 10-minute sustained (JMA) | |
| Highest winds | 185 km/h (115 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 915 hPa (mbar); 27.02 inHg |
| Category 5-equivalent super typhoon | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS) | |
| Highest winds | 260 km/h (160 mph) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 372 total |
| Damage | $3.2 billion (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Northern Mariana Islands, Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, China, Korean Peninsula, Russian Far East |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1997 Pacific typhoon season | |
Typhoon Winnie, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Ibiang, was the most destructive tropical cyclone to impact the Chinese provinces of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Shandong in 200 years. Originating from an area of low pressure over the Pacific Ocean on August 5, 1997, the system organized into a tropical depression. It headed northwestward, slowly strengthening into a tropical storm on August 9. Intensification became more rapid as conditions became more favorable, and Winnie reached typhoon strength on August 10. On August 12, 1997, Winnie became a Category 5-equivalent super typhoon, with peak 1-minute sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h). Winnie then weakened and passed north of Taiwan, before making landfall in Eastern China at Category 1-equivalent typhoon strength on the August 18. Winnie continued northeast over land while weakening, bringing heavy rainfall before dissipating on August 23.
Winnie is also tied with Typhoon Carmen in 1960 for having the largest eye on record, at 230 mi (370 km) in diameter.[1]