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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1997 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 32 storms · 19 Jan 1997–23 Dec 1997

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY569.3
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1997 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 32 storms, colored by the wind category at each observation. Hover or focus a storm in the table to highlight its track.UNITED STATESCANADAMEXICOAFRICAEUROPECHINAJAPANPHILIPPINESINDIAGulf of MexicoPacific OceanPhilippine SeaArabian SeaBay of BengalHannah: 19 Jan–22 Jan, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormIsa: 12 Apr–23 Apr, peak 145 kt, Category 5Jimmy: 23 Apr–26 Apr, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormKelly: 7 May–10 May, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormLevi: 25 May–30 May, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormMarie: 28 May–1 Jun, peak 90 kt, Category 2Nestor: 5 Jun–14 Jun, peak 140 kt, Category 5Opal: 15 Jun–20 Jun, peak 90 kt, Category 2Peter: 22 Jun–28 Jun, peak 65 kt, Category 1Rosie: 18 Jul–31 Jul, peak 140 kt, Category 5Scott: 20 Jul–2 Aug, peak 55 kt, Tropical stormTina: 29 Jul–9 Aug, peak 90 kt, Category 2Victor: 30 Jul–3 Aug, peak 65 kt, Category 1Winnie: 6 Aug–20 Aug, peak 140 kt, Category 5Yule: 16 Aug–23 Aug, peak 58 kt, Tropical stormAmber: 21 Aug–31 Aug, peak 110 kt, Category 3Zita: 20 Aug–24 Aug, peak 75 kt, Category 1Bing: 26 Aug–4 Sep, peak 135 kt, Category 4Cass: 27 Aug–30 Aug, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormOliwa: 3 Sep–16 Sep, peak 140 kt, Category 5David: 11 Sep–19 Sep, peak 95 kt, Category 2Fritz: 21 Sep–27 Sep, peak 75 kt, Category 1Ella: 21 Sep–23 Sep, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormGinger: 23 Sep–30 Sep, peak 145 kt, Category 5Hank: 3 Oct–3 Oct, peak 40 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 29 Sep–7 Oct, no US-agency windIvan: 13 Oct–25 Oct, peak 160 kt, Category 5Joan: 13 Oct–24 Oct, peak 160 kt, Category 5Linda: 31 Oct–9 Nov, peak 65 kt, Category 1Keith: 26 Oct–8 Nov, peak 155 kt, Category 5Mort: 9 Nov–16 Nov, peak 65 kt, Category 1Paka: 7 Dec–23 Dec, peak 160 kt, Category 5

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1997 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Hannah–50Tropical storm—3,430
Isa–145Cat 59404,040
Jimmy–55Tropical storm9941,830
Kelly–45Tropical storm9981,400
Levi–45Tropical storm9924,090
Marie–90Cat 29652,270
Nestor–140Cat 59304,530
Opal–90Cat 29603,010
Peter–65Cat 19705,760
Rosie–140Cat 59202,620
Scott–55Tropical storm9923,520
Tina–90Cat 29554,690
Victor–65Cat 19801,370
Winnie–140Cat 59155,120
Yule–58Tropical storm9805,250
Zita–75Cat 19801,170
Amber–110Cat 39501,780
Bing–135Cat 49405,090
Cass–45Tropical storm9921,000
Oliwa–140Cat 59155,670
David–95Cat 29454,500
Fritz–75Cat 1980940
Ella–40Tropical storm—2,370
Ginger–145Cat 59253,160
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,370
Hank–40Tropical storm—1,040
Ivan–160Cat 59055,560
Joan–160Cat 59055,450
Keith–155Cat 59104,250
Linda–65Cat 19853,290
Mort–65Cat 19921,840
Paka–160Cat 59203,140

32 storms with an IBTrACS 1997 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 19 Jan 1997, last 23 Dec 1997.

Tropical storms31

Tropical-stage US-agency wind of 34 kt or more

Typhoons22

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)12

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 510

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormIvan

160 kt · 184 mph / 296 km/h

Lowest pressure905 hPa

Ivan, 17 Oct 1997

Longest track record20.8 days

Tina, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind1

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1997 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1997 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 22 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 31 tropical storms, with 12 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1997 Pacific typhoon season?

Ivan, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 160 kt (Category 5) on 17 Oct 1997, 18:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 905 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1997?

10 storms in the 1997 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Isa, Nestor, Rosie, Winnie, Oliwa, Ginger, Ivan, Joan, Keith, Paka.

When did the 1997 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 19 Jan 1997 and the last on 23 Dec 1997, from 32 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1997 Pacific typhoon season?

Isa, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 13 Apr 1997, 18:00 UTC.

METHODOLOGY

Data sources and limitations

The map and totals are generated from NOAA’s IBTrACS v04r01 archive. A storm belongs to this page when the archive lists it in the Western Pacific basin for the 1997 season, so a December storm whose track ends in January stays with its season. Storms that cross between basins appear on the page of their archive basin only.

Counts use US-agency one-minute winds during the tropical stage: 34 kt for a tropical storm, 64 kt for typhoon strength and 96 kt for major intensity, on the Saffir–Simpson scale in every basin. Local agencies classify storms differently, and official season summaries can differ from the archive. Accumulated cyclone energy sums squared winds at six-hourly synoptic times, counting observations in the calendar year. Storms with no US-agency wind are mapped but cannot enter the counts.

The map frame is the same for every Western Pacific season, so a track that leaves it is cut at the edge. Lines show each storm’s center, not its size, rainfall or flood extent. Coastlines use Natural Earth’s 1:10m land data.

Archive retrieved

NOAA IBTrACS archive · Field documentation

Sources & methodology