1990 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Owen 1990
Owen crossed the International Date Line during a long Pacific journey in November 1990. Its track carried it through the waters of Micronesia, with repeated strengthening and weakening before a final decline east of the Philippines.
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161 mph
Nov 27, 1990 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
West across the Date Line
Owen's first archived position lies in the central Pacific on 14 November. The weak circulation moved steadily west, crossing the International Date Line before entering the Marshall Islands region. It strengthened sharply during the following days.
The storm's winds then declined before a second strengthening phase over the Caroline Islands region. The archive records peak one-minute winds of 140 kt on 27 November. Much of this powerful phase took place at low latitudes, south of Guam.
A final westward route toward the Philippines
Owen weakened while turning northwest, then bent west and southwest as its circulation deteriorated. The later track approaches the southern Philippines, ending on 5 December. No archived center position lies over land during the storm's passage across the Pacific.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Owen in brief
What was Hurricane Owen's highest wind speed?
161 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 27, 1990, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Owen?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 27, 1990, 06:00 AM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Owen's lowest pressure?
925 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 27, 1990, 06:00 AM UTC.
When did Hurricane Owen occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 14, 1990, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 5, 1990, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 19, 1990, 12:00 PM UTC to Dec 4, 1990, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Owen form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 1990 season. Its first archived position is 6.7°N, 163°W on Nov 14, 1990, 12:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Owen make landfall?
No archived position places Hurricane Owen'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