1997 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Keith 1997
Typhoon Keith passed between Rota and Tinian near its strongest phase in November 1997. Its compact zone of extreme winds kept the islands outside the worst conditions near the eye, but hundreds of homes still suffered damage.
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178 mph
Nov 2, 1997 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A slow start, then rapid strengthening
Keith developed from a near-equatorial trough around the Marshall Islands in late October. After a slow start, it intensified as it moved west-northwest beneath a subtropical ridge. The archive records maximum one-minute winds of 155 kt on November 1 and a minimum central pressure of 910 hPa the next day.
A compact core through the islands
On November 2, Keith's center passed between Rota and Tinian. Its zone of the most intense winds measured only about 55 kilometers across. Neither island recorded sustained winds above 160 km/h, despite the much stronger winds near the storm's center.
Across the affected island chain, Keith damaged or destroyed more than 800 homes. Losses reached about US$15 million in 1997 currency. The typhoon's strength fluctuated after the passage as its eyewall changed, before it turned north and northeast and weakened over the North Pacific.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Keith in brief
What was Typhoon Keith's highest wind speed?
178 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 1, 1997, 12:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Keith?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 31, 1997, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Keith's lowest pressure?
910 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 2, 1997, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Keith occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 26, 1997, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 9, 1997, 06:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 26, 1997, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 8, 1997, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Keith form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1997 season. Its first archived position is 6.7°N, 168.7°E on Oct 26, 1997, 06:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Keith make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Keith'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