User:Tfmbty/1998 Pacific typhoon season
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The 1998 Pacific typhoon season was one of the least active seasons on record, behind 2010, spawning 16 tropical storms and 8 typhoons.[1] These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Tfmbty/1998 Pacific typhoon season | |
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![]() Season summary map | |
Seasonal boundaries | |
First system formed | May 28, 1998 |
Last system dissipated | December 21, 1998 |
Strongest storm | |
Name | Zeb |
• Maximum winds | 335 km/h (205 mph) |
• Lowest pressure | 875 hPa (mbar) |
Seasonal statistics | |
Total depressions | 30 |
Total storms | 16 |
Typhoons | 8 |
Super typhoons | 3 |
Total fatalities | 924 |
Total damage | $950.8 million (1998 USD) |
Related articles | |
Pacific typhoon seasons 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 |
The scope of this article is limited to the Pacific Ocean, north of the equator and west of the international date line. Storms that form east of the date line and north of the equator are called hurricanes; see 1998 Pacific hurricane season. Tropical Storms formed in the entire west Pacific basin were assigned a name by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. Tropical depressions in this basin have the "W" suffix added to their number. Tropical depressions that enter or form in the Philippine area of responsibility are assigned a name by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA. This can often result in the same storm having two names.
The 1998 season was very weak compared to the 1997 season; this was due to the strong El Niño in the previous season. During the 1998 season, a total of 28 tropical depressions developed across the western Pacific basin. Of those 28 depressions, a total of 18 strengthened into tropical storms of which 9 further intensified into typhoons. The first tropical cyclone developed on May 28, marking the fourth latest start to any Pacific typhoon season on record, and the last one dissipated on December 22. The Philippine region also set a record: with only eleven storms forming or moving into its area of responsibility, PAGASA had its quietest season as of 2006.[2]