1991 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Ruth 1991
Typhoon Ruth crossed northern Luzon in October 1991, causing flooding and landslides before turning near Taiwan. Dangerous seas persisted around the weakening storm, including a fatal shipwreck west of Taiwan.
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167 mph
Oct 24, 1991 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From the Carolines to northern Luzon
Ruth developed from a disturbance between Chuuk and Pohnpei and moved west. It organized southwest of Guam and became a typhoon on 22 October. Peak archived one-minute winds reached 145 kt on 24 October.
The storm gradually weakened as it approached the Philippines. It made landfall in northern Luzon on 27 October, then fell to tropical-storm strength after crossing the island. Heavy flooding and numerous landslides accompanied its passage.
Flooding and a shipwreck near Taiwan
Twelve deaths were reported on Luzon. After leaving the island, Ruth curved south of Taiwan and continued weakening. The freighter Tung Lung sank in heavy seas west of Taiwan, killing all 18 people aboard.
The archive follows Ruth beyond the Philippine crossing, with the tropical stage ending on 30 October and later positions continuing through 3 November.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Ruth in brief
What was Typhoon Ruth's highest wind speed?
167 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Oct 24, 1991, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Ruth?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Oct 23, 1991, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Ruth's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Oct 24, 1991, 12:00 PM UTC.
When did Typhoon Ruth occur?
The archived track runs from Oct 16, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC to Nov 3, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC, with the tropical stage from Oct 19, 1991, 12:00 PM UTC to Oct 30, 1991, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Ruth form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1991 season. Its first archived position is 6°N, 156°E on Oct 16, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Ruth make landfall?
The archive places its center over land at 1 recorded position; the strongest is 115 mph on Oct 27, 1991, 12:00 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