2006 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Ioke 2006
Hurricane Ioke crossed from the central into the western Pacific in 2006, maintaining exceptional strength over a long ocean route. Its passages near Johnston Atoll and Wake Island tested shelters and prompted evacuations.
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161 mph
Aug 27, 2006 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
Rapid growth south of Hawaii
Ioke developed south of Hawaii on August 20 and intensified to Category 4 within 48 hours. It weakened before passing Johnston Atoll, where a crew of twelve sheltered in a reinforced bunker. Winds damaged trees, but the crew survived the hurricane.
Favorable conditions supported renewed strengthening. Ioke reached maximum one-minute winds of 140 kt on August 25 and crossed the International Date Line as a Category 5 system, becoming a typhoon in the western Pacific. Its strength fluctuated as it continued west.
Damage on evacuated Wake Island
On August 31, Ioke passed near Wake Island with winds around 155 mph. Authorities evacuated military personnel before the storm. The typhoon tore roofs from buildings and caused about US$88 million in damage in 2006 currency, though the island's main infrastructure survived.
Ioke weakened as it turned northwest and north, then became extratropical in early September. Its remnants crossed the North Pacific toward the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska, where surge caused coastal erosion. The saved account reports no deaths.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Ioke in brief
What was Hurricane Ioke's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Aug 25, 2006, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Ioke?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Aug 25, 2006, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Ioke's lowest pressure?
900 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Aug 27, 2006, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Ioke occur?
The archived track runs from Aug 16, 2006, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 7, 2006, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Aug 20, 2006, 12:00 AM UTC to Sep 6, 2006, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Ioke form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 2006 season. Its first archived position is 10.4°N, 142.5°W on Aug 16, 2006, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Hurricane Ioke make landfall?
No archived position places Hurricane Ioke's center over land, but positions are six-hourly and a brief landfall can fall between them.
METHODOLOGY
Data sources and limitations
The map and summary are generated from NOAA's IBTrACS v04r01 archive. Wind and category use US-agency records; minimum pressure is calculated during the tropical stage, with the archive's pressure source retained. Category 5 refers to the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale; local agencies may use different classifications. Coastlines use Natural Earth's 1:10m land data.
Track distance adds great-circle distances between consecutive observations, excluding gaps over 12 hours. This track has no gaps over 12 hours. The line shows the storm's center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Converted wind speeds are rounded to the nearest whole unit.
Archive retrieved
NOAA IBTrACS archive and Field documentation
Sources & methodology