1997 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
Hurricane Paka 1997
Paka crossed the Date Line and became the last super typhoon of the 1997 western Pacific season. Its December passage near Guam destroyed buildings and cut power across the island before the storm reached its highest winds over open water.
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184 mph
Dec 17, 1997 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
A long westward journey
Paka developed southwest of Hawaii on November 28 and spent its early days drifting before turning west. Dry air interrupted its growth, but it strengthened again and crossed into the western Pacific on December 7. It reached typhoon strength while passing through the Marshall Islands on December 10.
Severe damage on Guam
Heavy rain and wind caused about US$80 million in damage in the Marshall Islands. On December 16, Paka passed just north of Guam and affected nearby Rota with winds near 230 km/h. On Guam, it destroyed about 1,500 buildings and damaged another 10,000, leaving around 5,000 people homeless.
Guam lost electricity across the island. Damage there totaled about US$500 million in 1997 currency, and officials later retired Paka's name. Despite the extensive destruction, the saved storm account reports no deaths.
Strongest after the island passage
Paka intensified again west of the Marianas. The archive records maximum one-minute winds of 160 kt on December 18 and a minimum central pressure of 920 hPa. It then weakened over the western Pacific and dissipated on December 23.
Further reading
NOAA IBTrACS v04r01 historical track archive
Official report (PDF) — National Hurricane Center, Tropical Cyclone Report.
QUICK ANSWERS
Paka in brief
What was Hurricane Paka's highest wind speed?
184 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Dec 18, 1997, 12:00 AM UTC.
What category was Hurricane Paka?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Dec 14, 1997, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Hurricane Paka's lowest pressure?
920 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Dec 17, 1997, 06:00 PM UTC.
When did Hurricane Paka occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 28, 1997, 06:00 PM UTC to Dec 23, 1997, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 28, 1997, 06:00 PM UTC to Dec 23, 1997, 12:00 AM UTC.
Where did Hurricane Paka form?
In the Eastern Pacific basin, in the 1997 season. Its first archived position is 5.6°N, 166.3°W on Nov 28, 1997, 06:00 PM UTC.
Did Hurricane Paka make landfall?
No archived position places Hurricane Paka'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