1991 Western Pacific typhoon season
Typhoon Yuri 1991
Typhoon Yuri passed near Pohnpei and Guam in November 1991, causing substantial damage despite keeping its center offshore. It strengthened steadily into a powerful storm and continued expanding as it began to weaken.
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173 mph
Nov 27, 1991 during the tropical stage
Full archive record, including non-tropical stages if present
Along the recorded center positions
STORM HISTORY
From Pohnpei toward Guam
Yuri's precursor looped near the Marshall Islands before organizing in late November. The storm became a typhoon east of Pohnpei and passed north of the island on 25 November. Damage there included the loss of a radio tower and totaled about US$3 million in 1991 values.
The archive records peak one-minute winds of 150 kt on 27 November. Yuri passed south of Guam around that time, bringing severe beach erosion and building damage. Guam's losses were estimated at US$33 million.
Expanding while turning northeast
Yuri weakened after passing Guam but continued growing in size. It rounded the subtropical ridge and accelerated northeast, leaving the Mariana Islands behind. By 1 December, the storm had lost typhoon strength and was completing its transition into an extratropical cyclone.
The later circulation strengthened again through midlatitude processes before it was last tracked on 3 December. No deaths were reported from Yuri, and none of its archived center positions lies over land.
Further reading
QUICK ANSWERS
Yuri in brief
What was Typhoon Yuri's highest wind speed?
173 mph, the highest one-minute sustained wind in its tropical stage, recorded on Nov 27, 1991, 06:00 AM UTC.
What category was Typhoon Yuri?
Category 5 at its peak on the Saffir–Simpson one-minute wind scale, first reaching Category 5 on Nov 26, 1991, 09:00 PM UTC. Other agencies classify storms differently.
What was Typhoon Yuri's lowest pressure?
895 mb, the minimum central pressure recorded during its tropical stage, on Nov 27, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC.
When did Typhoon Yuri occur?
The archived track runs from Nov 16, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC to Dec 3, 1991, 12:00 PM UTC, with the tropical stage from Nov 22, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC to Dec 1, 1991, 03:00 PM UTC.
Where did Typhoon Yuri form?
In the Western Pacific basin, in the 1991 season. Its first archived position is 5.5°N, 171°E on Nov 16, 1991, 12:00 AM UTC.
Did Typhoon Yuri make landfall?
No archived position places Typhoon Yuri'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