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WESTERN PACIFIC · SEASON MAP

1998 Pacific typhoon season

Every recorded track, mapped · 29 storms · 7 Jul 1998–22 Dec 1998

ACCUMULATED CYCLONE ENERGY152.1
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1998 Pacific typhoon season: every recorded storm trackRecorded tracks of all 29 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 BengalUnnamed: 8 Jul–11 Jul, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionNichole: 7 Jul–10 Jul, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 22 Jul–26 Jul, no US-agency windOtto: 1 Aug–5 Aug, peak 100 kt, Category 3Penny: 6 Aug–11 Aug, peak 60 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 21 Aug–22 Aug, no US-agency windRex: 23 Aug–6 Sep, peak 115 kt, Category 4Unnamed: 1 Sep–4 Sep, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionStella: 12 Sep–15 Sep, peak 65 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 11 Sep–14 Sep, peak 25 kt, Tropical depressionTodd: 15 Sep–20 Sep, peak 130 kt, Category 4Vicki: 17 Sep–22 Sep, peak 90 kt, Category 2Unnamed: 16 Sep–19 Sep, no US-agency windWaldo: 19 Sep–21 Sep, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormYanni: 26 Sep–30 Sep, peak 80 kt, Category 1Unnamed: 2 Oct–5 Oct, peak 30 kt, Tropical depressionUnnamed: 4 Oct–7 Oct, no US-agency windUnnamed: 5 Oct–7 Oct, no US-agency windZeb: 9 Oct–17 Oct, peak 155 kt, Category 5Unnamed: 10 Oct–12 Oct, no US-agency windBabs: 14 Oct–27 Oct, peak 135 kt, Category 4Chip: 11 Nov–14 Nov, peak 50 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 19 Nov–23 Nov, peak 75 kt, Category 1Dawn: 16 Nov–20 Nov, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormElvis: 22 Nov–26 Nov, peak 45 kt, Tropical stormFaith: 8 Dec–14 Dec, peak 90 kt, Category 2Gil: 8 Dec–12 Dec, peak 35 kt, Tropical stormUnnamed: 17 Dec–19 Dec, no US-agency windUnnamed: 18 Dec–22 Dec, no US-agency wind

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Whole season

DepressionTropical stormCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5Post-tropical
Every storm of the 1998 Pacific typhoon season. Column headers sort the list.
Nichole–50Tropical storm998630
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—780
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,310
Otto–100Cat 3970960
Penny–60Tropical storm9851,590
Unnamed–—Unclassified—460
Rex–115Cat 49553,900
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—1,680
Unnamed–25Tropical depression—620
Stella–65Cat 19753,480
Todd–130Cat 49551,710
Unnamed–—Unclassified—320
Vicki–90Cat 29603,840
Waldo–45Tropical storm9941,220
Yanni–80Cat 19652,050
Unnamed–30Tropical depression—730
Unnamed–—Unclassified—200
Unnamed–—Unclassified—130
Zeb–155Cat 59004,910
Unnamed–—Unclassified—1,430
Babs–135Cat 49403,700
Chip–50Tropical storm994560
Dawn–45Tropical storm998770
Unnamed–75Cat 19841,500
Elvis–45Tropical storm9921,150
Faith–90Cat 29702,250
Gil–35Tropical storm992870
Unnamed–—Unclassified—580
Unnamed–—Unclassified—490

29 storms with an IBTrACS 1998 typhoon season record. Tracks are the archived center positions, first observation 7 Jul 1998, last 22 Dec 1998.

Tropical storms17

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

Typhoons10

64 kt or more, one-minute sustained

Major (Category 3+)5

96 kt or more, Saffir–Simpson scale

Category 51

137 kt or more at any tropical-stage observation

Strongest stormZeb

155 kt · 178 mph / 287 km/h

Lowest pressure900 hPa

Zeb, 13 Oct 1998

Longest track record18.3 days

Babs, full archive record

Storms without US-agency wind8

Mapped, but outside the counts above

QUICK ANSWERS

The 1998 season in brief

How many typhoons were there in the 1998 Pacific typhoon season?

The archive records 10 typhoons (one-minute winds of 64 kt or more) among 17 tropical storms, with 5 major typhoons reaching 96 kt. Counts use US-agency winds during the tropical stage.

What was the strongest storm of the 1998 Pacific typhoon season?

Zeb, with a peak one-minute sustained wind of 155 kt (Category 5) on 13 Oct 1998, 12:00 UTC and a minimum central pressure of 900 hPa.

How many Category 5 storms were there in 1998?

1 storm in the 1998 Pacific typhoon season reached Category 5 on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale: Zeb.

When did the 1998 Pacific typhoon season start and end?

The first tropical-stage observation is on 7 Jul 1998 and the last on 22 Dec 1998, from 29 tracked storms in the archive.

What was the first typhoon of the 1998 Pacific typhoon season?

Otto, which reached typhoon strength (64 kt) on 3 Aug 1998, 12:00 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 1998 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