1990 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Mike 1990
Typhoon Mike, known as Ruping in the Philippines, devastated the central islands in November 1990. Cebu suffered severe damage to buildings, utilities and shipping, while losses extended westward toward Vietnam after the storm crossed the South China Sea.
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173 mph
Nov 11, 1990 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From Micronesia to the central Philippines
Mike developed in the Caroline Islands and passed north of Palau during its early stages. Homes, businesses and banana and coconut crops were damaged there. The storm then intensified rapidly, reaching peak archived one-minute winds of 150 kt late on 10 November.
Mike weakened slightly before crossing the central Philippines, then lost considerable strength over the islands. In Cebu City, 88 ships sank, power and telephone lines fell, and drinking-water service was interrupted for two days.
Widespread displacement and a later western passage
The Philippines reported 748 deaths and 1,274 injuries. More than 222,000 houses were destroyed, and over a million people were displaced. Damage was estimated at 10.8 billion pesos, equivalent to US$446 million in 1990 values.
Mike briefly regained strength over the South China Sea, then turned north-northwest and weakened under increasing wind shear. It crossed western Hainan and later northern Vietnam and southern China. Vietnam reported 68 deaths, and the storm dissipated on 18 November.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Mike in brief
What was Typhoon Mike's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 10, 1990, 06:00 PM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Mike?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 10, 1990, 03:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Mike's lowest pressure?
915 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 11, 1990, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Mike occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 6, 1990, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 18, 1990, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 6, 1990, 06:00 AM UTC to Nov 18, 1990, 12:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Mike form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1990 season. Its first archived position is 6.5°N, 151.9°E on Nov 6, 1990, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Mike make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 3 recorded positions; the strongest is 138 mph on Nov 12, 1990, 06:00 PM UTC. Positions are six-hourly, so this is not a landfall chronology.
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