List of tropical cyclones near the Equator


Typically, tropical cyclones form at least 5.0 degrees of latitude north and south of the equator, or at least 300 nautical miles from the equator. Within 5 degrees of the equator, tropical cyclogenesis is uncommon despite the presence of sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures and generally low wind shear, as a result of the lack of a strong Coriolis force, which causes cyclones to spin. On rare occasions, tropical cyclones can develop within 5° of the equator, most commonly in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

Background

Various factors converge to produce a tropical cyclone, including sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, low wind shear, ample moisture, and enough atmospheric instability to produce thunderstorms. In addition, for a tropical disturbance to develop into a tropical cyclone, it typically needs to be far enough away from the equator, where there is sufficient vorticity for the weather system to spin. This is because the vorticity generated by the Earth's rotation through the Coriolis force is zero at the equator and increases toward the poles. This lack of planetary vorticity can be overcome if there is sufficient relative vorticity produced via other means. One such phenomenon that can contribute to the development of low-latitude tropical cyclones is the equatorial westerly wind burst, which generates sufficient shear vorticity on both sides of the equator to support tropical cyclogenesis. Westerly wind bursts are most common in the equatorial Western Pacific Ocean.

List

StormYearPeak classificationBasinMinimumLatitudeRef
Tropical Storm Vamei2001Northwestern Pacific1.4°N
Cyclone Agni[2004 Tropical cyclone basins|North Indian Ocean cyclone season|2004]North Indian1.5°N
Typhoon Sarah1956Northwestern Pacific1.7°N
Typhoon Alice1979Northwestern Pacific2.0°N
Tropical Storm Peipah2014Northwestern Pacific2.0°N
Tropical Depression2023Northwestern Pacific2.0°N
Tropical Depression Nine-C2015Northeastern Pacific2.2°N
Tropical Storm Patsy1977Northwestern Pacific2.5°N
Tropical Storm Abaimba2003South-West Indian Ocean2.5°S
Hurricane Pali2016Northeastern Pacific2.6°N
Cyclone Fani2019North Indian2.7°N
Cyclone Fabien2023South-West Indian Ocean2.7°S
Typhoon Harriet1959Northwestern Pacific2.9°N
Cyclone Ialy2024South-West Indian Ocean3.0°S
Cyclone Senyar2025North Indian and Northwestern Pacific3.0°N
Tropical Storm Sonamu2013Northwestern Pacific3.2°N
Typhoon Bopha2012Northwestern Pacific3.4°N
Unnamed Cyclonic Storm2002North Indian4.0°N
Tropical Storm Shanshan2013Northwestern Pacific4.2°N
Typhoon Kate1970Northwestern Pacific4.3°N
Severe Tropical Storm Axel1992Northwestern Pacific4.4°N
Hurricane Ekeka1992Northeastern and Northwestern Pacific4.5°N
Cyclone Bernie1982Australian region4.8°S
Deep Depression BOB 012026North Indian4.8°N
Flores cyclone1973Australian region5.0°S
Cyclonic Storm Hibaru2005North Indian5.0°N
Deep Depression ARB 012006North Indian5.0°N
Tropical Storm Fengshen2025Northwestern Pacific5.0°N