Tropical cyclones in 1997


The year 1997 was regarded as one of the most intense tropical cyclone years on record, featuring a record 12 category 5-equivalent tropical cyclones, according to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The year also featured the second-highest amount of accumulated cyclone energy on record, just behind 1992 and 2018. Throughout the year, 108 tropical cyclones have developed in bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. However, only 89 tropical cyclones were of those attaining 39 mph or greater, falling just below the long term average of 102 named systems. The most active basin was the Western Pacific, attaining an ACE amount of 571, the highest ever recorded in any season in any basin on record. The deadliest tropical cyclone was [Tropical Storm Tropical Storm Linda (1997)|Linda (1997)|Severe Tropical Storm Linda (Openg)]. The costliest tropical cyclone was Super Typhoon Winnie, which set a record for having the largest eye on record. The most intense tropical cyclone was Hurricane Linda, peaking at 902 hPa/mbar. [Typhoon Paka|Typhoon Typhoon Paka|Paka (Rubing)], the longest-lived system, produced the fourth-highest ACE for a single tropical cyclone, just behind Typhoon Nancy (1961), Hurricane/Typhoon Ioke (2006), and Cyclone Freddy (2023). The accumulated cyclone energy index for the 1997, as calculated by Colorado State University was 1,099.2 units.
Tropical cyclones are primarily monitored by a group of ten warning centres, which have been designated as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center or a Tropical Cyclone Warning Center by the World Meteorological Organization. These are the United States National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center, the Japan Meteorological Agency, the India Meteorological Department, Météo-France, Indonesia's Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Papua New Guinea's National Weather Service, the Fiji Meteorological Service as well as New Zealand's MetService. Other notable warning centres include the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center, and the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center.

Global conditions

In January 1997, satellites gathering information on water temperatures and sea level heights discovered an area of unusually warm water situated across the western half of the Pacific Ocean. About below the surface, water temperatures were about 3 °C above normal, signifying that an El Niño–Southern Oscillation event was beginning. By this time, Scripps Institution of Oceanography had forecast that an ENSO was likely to take place during the latter half of 1997. Throughout February, water temperatures began increasing over much of the Pacific as well as in shallower waters off the coast of Peru. The above-average water temperatures covered an area roughly across, almost stretching from New Guinea to South America. By April, the ENSO became fully established; a column of warm water extended to the surface in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and water anomalies exceeded 5 °C about below the ocean surface. At the surface off the coast of Peru, water temperatures averaged 3 °C above normal.
Exceedingly warm waters became apparent by May, especially off the coast of South America where anomalies were reaching 7 °C above normal. Further north, sea surface temperatures along the Pacific coast of North America were increasing, with a large pool of water being 3 °C above normal. By September 1997, the ENSO became very powerful, with surface temperatures between South America and the International Date Line averaging 2–4 °C above normal, roughly a quarter of the planet's diameter. Additionally, waters along the Pacific coast of North America continued to expand, now stretching from Alaska to southern Mexico. A contrasting area of abnormally cool waters took shape near the coast of Australia by September as well, with waters below the surface averaging 4 °C below normal. Along the Pacific coast of the Americas, the volume of water was roughly 30 times greater than that of all the water in the Great Lakes combined. The extra heat energy created by this anomaly was also about 93 times more than the energy produced by fossil fuels in the United States during 1995.

Summary


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from:26/12/1996 till:03/01/1997 color:AUSR
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from:03/01/1997 till:12/01/1997 color:SWIO text:Phil
from:02/01/1997 till:09/01/1997 color:SWIO text:Fabriola
from:02/01/1997 till:10/01/1997 color:AUSR text:"Rachel"
from:03/01/1997 till:04/01/1997 color:SPAC
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from:04/01/1997 till:06/01/1997 color:AUSR
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from:06/01/1997 till:10/01/1997 color:SPAC text:"Drena"
from:07/01/1997 till:12/01/1997 color:AUSR text:"Unnamed"
from:10/01/1997 till:16/01/1997 color:SPAC text:"Evan"
from:12/01/1997 till:13/01/1997 color:SWIO text:13S
from:18/01/1997 till:22/01/1997 color:AUSR
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from:31/01/1997 till:07/02/1997 color:SWIO text:Pancho-Helinda
from:19/01/1997 till:24/01/1997 color:WPAC text: "Hannah"
from:19/01/1997 till:31/01/1997 color:SWIO text:Gretelle
from:24/01/1997 till:30/01/1997 color:SWIO text:Iletta
from:26/01/1997 till:02/02/1997 color:SPAC text:"Freda"
from:05/02/1997 till:16/02/1997 color:SWIO text:Josie
from:10/02/1997 till:12/02/1997 color:AUSR text:"Gillian"
from:14/02/1997 till:25/02/1997 color:SWIO text:Karlette
from:16/02/1997 till:20/02/1997 color:AUSR
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from:20/02/1997 till:24/02/1997 color:SPAC text:"Harold"
from:17/02/1997 till:18/02/1997 color:SPAC text:"TD"
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from:23/02/1997 till:24/02/1997 color:AUSR text:"Ita"
from:24/02/1997 till:03/03/1997 color:SWIO text:Lisette
from:24/02/1997 till:26/02/1997 color:SPAC text:"29P"
from:03/03/1997 till:12/03/1997 color:SPAC text:"Gavin"
from:06/03/1997 till:24/03/1997 color:AUSR text:"Justin"
from:13/03/1997 till:18/03/1997 color:SPAC text:"Hina"
from:12/04/1997 till:23/04/1997 color:WPAC text: "Isa"
from:17/04/1997 till:19/04/1997 color:SPAC text:"Ian"
from:22/04/1997 till:26/04/1997 color:WPAC text: "Jimmy"
from:02/05/1997 till:05/05/1997 color:SPAC text:"June"
from:06/05/1997 till:10/05/1997 color:WPAC text: "Kelly"
from:10/05/1997 till:16/05/1997 color:AUSR text:"Rhonda"
from:14/05/1997 till:20/05/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 01"
from:26/05/1997 till:30/05/1997 color:WPAC text: "Levi"
from:26/05/1997 till:28/05/1997 color:SPAC text:"37P"
from:27/05/1997 till:01/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "Marie"
from:01/06/1997 till:02/06/1997 color:NATL text: "Unnamed SS"
barset:break
from:01/06/1997 till:07/06/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "[Tropical Storm Tropical Storm Andres (1997)|Andres (1997)|Andres]"
from:05/06/1997 till:14/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "Nestor"
from:07/06/1997 till:17/06/1997 color:SPAC text:"Keli"
from:09/06/1997 till:12/06/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Blanca"
from:14/06/1997 till:20/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "Opal"
from:21/06/1997 till:24/06/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Three-E"
from:22/06/1997 till:28/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "Peter"
from:22/06/1997 till:22/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:22/06/1997 till:30/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD
from:23/06/1997 till:24/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:25/06/1997 till:28/06/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Carlos"
from:26/06/1997 till:30/06/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 02"
from:29/06/1997 till:04/07/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Five-E"
from:29/06/1997 till:30/06/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:30/06/1997 till:04/07/1997 color:NATL text: "Ana"
from:02/07/1997 till:07/07/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:05/07/1997 till:12/07/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Dolores"
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from:11/07/1997 till:13/07/1997 color:NATL text: "Bill"
from:11/07/1997 till:12/07/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:12/07/1997 till:16/07/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Enrique"
from:13/07/1997 till:16/07/1997 color:NATL text: "Claudette"
from:14/07/1997 till:22/07/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Felicia"
from:16/07/1997 till:26/07/1997 color:NATL text: "Danny"
from:17/07/1997 till:19/07/1997 color:NATL text: "Five"
from:18/07/1997 till:31/07/1997 color:WPAC text: "Rosie"
from:18/07/1997 till:20/07/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:20/07/1997 till:02/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Scott"
from:20/07/1997 till:25/07/1997 color:SWIO text:M2
from:24/07/1997 till:26/07/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:25/07/1997 till:01/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:26/07/1997 till:27/07/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "One-C"
from:29/07/1997 till:09/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Tina"
from:29/07/1997 till:03/08/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 03"
from:30/07/1997 till:15/08/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Guillermo"
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from:30/07/1997 till:04/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Victor"
from:04/08/1997 till:07/08/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 04"
from:06/08/1997 till:20/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Winnie"
from:10/08/1997 till:15/08/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Hilda"
from:16/08/1997 till:22/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Yule"
from:17/08/1997 till:19/08/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "[Tropical Storm Tropical Storm Ignacio (1997)|Ignacio (1997)|Ignacio]"
from:17/08/1997 till:18/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "16W"
from:20/08/1997 till:24/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Zita"
from:20/08/1997 till:27/08/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 05"
from:21/08/1997 till:31/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Amber"
from:22/08/1997 till:24/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:25/08/1997 till:30/08/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Jimena"
from:26/08/1997 till:04/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "Bing"
from:27/08/1997 till:27/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:27/08/1997 till:30/08/1997 color:WPAC text: "Cass"
from:28/08/1997 till:30/08/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 06"
from:02/09/1997 till:04/09/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC
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from:04/09/1997 till:16/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "Oliwa"
barset:break
from:03/09/1997 till:15/09/1997 color:NATL text: "[Hurricane Hurricane Erika (1997)|Erika (1997)|Erika]"
from:03/09/1997 till:07/09/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Kevin"
from:03/09/1997 till:03/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:09/09/1997 till:17/09/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Linda"
from:11/09/1997 till:19/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "David"
from:12/09/1997 till:16/09/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Marty"
from:16/09/1997 till:26/09/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Nora"
from:19/09/1997 till:27/09/1997 color:NIO text:"BOB 07"
from:20/09/1997 till:24/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "Ella"
from:21/09/1997 till:27/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "Fritz"
from:23/09/1997 till:30/09/1997 color:WPAC text: "Ginger"
from:26/09/1997 till:12/10/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Olaf"
from:28/09/1997 till:04/10/1997 color:WPAC text: "Hank"
from:02/10/1997 till:08/10/1997 color:WPAC text: "26W"
from:05/10/1997 till:08/10/1997 color:NATL text: "Fabian"
from:05/10/1997 till:10/10/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Pauline"
from:06/10/1997 till:07/10/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Three-C"
barset:break
from:08/10/1997 till:12/10/1997 color:SPAC text:"Lusi"
from:13/10/1997 till:25/10/1997 color:WPAC text: "Ivan"
from:13/10/1997 till:24/10/1997 color:WPAC text: "Joan"
from:16/10/1997 till:17/10/1997 color:NATL text: "Grace"
from:26/10/1997 till:08/11/1997 color:WPAC text: "Keith"
from:26/10/1997 till:28/10/1997 color:SPAC text:"03P"
from:27/10/1997 till:29/10/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:27/10/1997 till:05/11/1997 color:SPAC text:"Martin"
from:30/10/1997 till:31/10/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Four-C"
from:31/10/1997 till:03/11/1997 color:WPAC
barset:break
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from:03/11/1997 till:09/11/1997 color:NIO text:"Linda"
from:02/11/1997 till:14/11/1997 color:NIO text:"ARB 01"
from:04/11/1997 till:10/11/1997 color:NIO text:"03A"
from:07/11/1997 till:10/11/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC text: "Rick"
from:09/11/1997 till:16/11/1997 color:WPAC text: "Mort"
from:11/11/1997 till:11/11/1997 color:WPAC text: "TD"
from:18/11/1997 till:19/11/1997 color:SPAC
barset:break
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barset:skip
barset:skip
from:19/11/1997 till:21/11/1997 color:AUSR text:"Nute"
from:22/11/1997 till:29/11/1997 color:SPAC text:"Osea"
barset:break
from:28/11/1997 till:06/12/1997 color:EPAC/CPAC
barset:break
from:06/12/1997 till:23/12/1997 color:WPAC text: "Paka"
from:06/12/1997 till:10/12/1997 color:SPAC text:"Pam"
from:20/12/1997 till:09/01/1998 color:SPAC text:"Susan"
from:24/12/1997 till:29/12/1997 color:AUSR text:"Sid"
from:26/12/1997 till:02/01/1998 color:AUSR
barset:break
barset:skip
barset:skip
barset:skip
barset:skip
from:02/01/1998 till:03/01/1998 color:SWIO text:"Selwyn"
bar:Month width:0 align:center fontsize:S shift: anchor:middle color:canvas
from:26/12/1996 till:31/12/1996 text:Dec. '96
from:01/01/1997 till:31/01/1997 text:January
from:01/02/1997 till:28/02/1997 text:February
from:01/03/1997 till:31/03/1997 text:March
from:01/04/1997 till:30/04/1997 text:April
from:01/05/1997 till:31/05/1997 text:May
from:01/06/1997 till:30/06/1997 text:June
from:01/07/1997 till:31/07/1997 text:July
from:01/08/1997 till:31/08/1997 text:August
from:01/09/1997 till:30/09/1997 text:September
from:01/10/1997 till:31/10/1997 text:October
from:01/11/1997 till:30/11/1997 text:November
from:01/12/1997 till:31/12/1997 text:December
from:01/01/1998 till:13/01/1998 text:Jan. '98
TextData =
pos:
text:"This table is based on the"
pos:
text:"tropical cyclone basins"

North Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, and an unnamed subtropical storm developed on the same day. Only nine tropical depressions formed. Eight of the depressions attained tropical storm status, making 1997 the least active Atlantic hurricane season in the ongoing above-average era of tropical cyclogenesis, which began in 1995. Just three of these systems attained hurricane status and only one tropical cyclone intensified into a major hurricane, which was below the 1981–2010 average of three per season. Only Danny made landfall at hurricane strength during the season, although Hurricane Erika and Tropical Storm Grace also caused damage and fatalities. Those three cyclones collectively caused 12 deaths and $111.46 million in damage. The last storm of the season, Tropical Storm Grace, dissipated on October 17, over a month before the official end of the season on November 30.
The 1997 Atlantic hurricane season had a very active beginning. In June, two tropical cyclones developed – the unnoticed subtropical storm and Tropical Storm Ana. An unusual four tropical cyclones formed in the month of July, three of which reached tropical storm intensity, and two of them became hurricanes. Despite the active start, the other months of the season featured record low activity, especially in August and September, both of which combined produced only one tropical cyclone. As a result of the active start and subsequent lack of activity, it showed that early season activity has no correlation to the entire season. Further, this marked the first occurrence of no tropical cyclogenesis in August since 1961, and the most recent instance of no activity in that month until 2022. The lone tropical cyclone during the period was Hurricane Erika, which developed on September 3. In October, two short-lived tropical cyclones developed, Fabian and Grace. Tropical cyclogenesis ceased after Grace transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on October 17. The season's activity was reflected with a low accumulated cyclone energy rating of 41. ACE is, broadly speaking, a measure of the power of the hurricane multiplied by the length of time it existed, so storms that last a long time, as well as particularly strong hurricanes, have high ACEs. It is only calculated for full advisories on tropical systems at or exceeding 39 mph, which is the threshold for tropical storm strength.

Eastern & Central Pacific Oceans

It was a very active hurricane season. With hundreds of deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, this was one of the deadliest and costliest Pacific hurricane seasons on record. The season produced 17 named storms, which was a little above normal. The average number of named storms per year is 15. The 1997 season also had 9 hurricanes, compared to the average of 8. There were also 7 major hurricanes compared to the average of 4. This was due to the exceptionally strong ongoing El Niño event. Several storms impacted land. The first was Tropical Storm Andres which killed four people and left another two missing. In August, Tropical Storm Ignacio took an unusual path through the basin, resulting in its extratropical remnants causing minimal damage throughout the Pacific Northwest and California. Linda became the most intense east Pacific hurricane in recorded history, a record it maintained until it was surpassed by Hurricane Patricia in 2015. Although it never made landfall, it produced large surf in Southern California and as a result, five people had to be rescued. Hurricane Nora caused flooding and damage in the Southwestern United States, while Olaf made two landfalls and caused eighteen deaths and several other people were reported missing. Hurricane Pauline killed several hundred people and caused record damage in southeastern Mexico. In addition, Super Typhoons Oliwa and Paka originated in the region before crossing the International Date Line and causing significant damage in the western Pacific. There were also two Category 5 hurricanes: Linda and Guillermo. The National Hurricane Center uses accumulated cyclone energy to rank hurricane seasons as above-normal, near-normal, and below-normal. The total ACE of this season is 160*104 kt2 in the east Pacific proper, which qualifies this season as above-normal.

Western Pacific Ocean

It was a record-breaking season featuring eleven tropical cyclones reaching super typhoon intensity, tying the record with 1965 with the most violent tropical cyclones globally, and was the ninth and last consecutive year of above-average tropical cyclone activity that started in 1989. Its extremely high activity produced a total of 570 ACE index, which is the highest ever index recorded in a single tropical cyclone season. In addition, this season had ten Saffir-Simpson Category 5-equivalent tropical cyclones, the most ever recorded, even greater than the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which had nearly half of the amount. The 1997–98 El Niño event was a contributing factor to this unusually high activity. Despite this, the season produced an average number of tropical storms, spawning twenty-nine tropical storms. The first named storm, Hannah, developed on January 20 while the last named storm, Paka, dissipated on December 23. Tropical Storm Linda became the worst tropical cyclone to hit Vietnam, killing over 3,000 people

North Indian Ocean

On May 13, a near-equatorial trough developed. The poorly organized system slowly tracked towards the north-northwest. The following day, deep convection consolidated around the center of circulation and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center classified the system as Tropical Cyclone 01B. Favorable upper-level conditions and good outflow allowed the storm to intensify. Shortly after, the cyclone attained tropical storm-force winds and turned towards the northeast. While gradually increasing in forward motion, the storm continued to strengthen. On May 17, the cyclone attained winds of 120 km/h, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. By May 18 an eye developed and the storm reached its peak intensity with winds of before making landfall near Chittagong. After landfall, the storm rapidly tracked northeastward inland and dissipated early on May 20. It caused significant damage and 67 fatalities. On September 19, a tropical depression formed from an area of disturbed weather in the western Bay of Bengal. It drifted northwestward towards the Indian coastline, but a mid-latitude trough pulled it northeastward, The depression strengthened to a tropical storm on the 24th, and it reached cyclone strength while paralleling the Indian coastline on 26th. It made landfall in Bangladesh on the 27th, and dissipated shortly thereafter. Tropical Cyclone 2B was responsible for 51 fatalities and left an additional 137 people missing.
Typhoon Linda killed 30 while crossing the Malay Peninsula, emerged into the Bay of Bengal on November 4. It continued westward, reaching cyclone strength again, but vertical shear caused it to dissipate on the 9th. In southern Thailand, 30 people were killed and 102 others were listed as missing as a result of the storm. Linda damaged at least 100 homes and sank 30 ships in the region. An estimated 6,400,000 m2 of farmland were destroyed by Linda. A broad trough of low pressure formed into a tropical depression on November 4 in the central Arabian Sea. It moved westward, slowly intensifying into a tropical storm on the 8th. Vertical shear weakened it to a depression later that day, but on the 9th, just before making landfall on eastern Somalia, it restrengthened to a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Three dissipated on the 10th without causing any reported damage.

South-West Indian Ocean

January–June

It was the longest on record, with both an unusually early start and unusually late ending. Most activity was from November through February. According to the Météo-France office at Réunion, there were 21 tropical disturbances, 14 of which intensified into tropical depressions. There were 12 named storms, beginning with Antoinette and proceeding sequentially until Lisette. In addition, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center also warned on storms in the region, which identified five other tropical storms. Five of the storms attained tropical cyclone status, or with 10–minute maximum sustained winds of at least ; of these, three strengthened further into intense tropical cyclones, with Daniella and Helinda tied for strongest storm of the season.
In August, a tropical depression developed in the south-west Indian Ocean for the first time 27 years, and a month later, a rare September tropical disturbance formed. The first named storm, Antoinette, was the first of several to originate in the neighboring Australian basin, or east of 90° E; the subsequent two named storms also formed in the Australian region. In early December, Cyclone Daniella likely developed out of the remnants of previous Tropical Storm Chantelle. After reaching peak 10–minute winds of, Daniella weakened and passed just southwest of Mauritius; there, the storm left heavy crop damage and indirectly caused three deaths. In early January, Tropical Storm Fabriola was the first in a succession of three storms to move over Madagascar. The next – Cyclone Gretelle – killed 152 people when it struck southeastern Madagascar. Between January and February, Cyclone Pancho-Helinda lasted about 20 days between both the Australian and south-west Indian basins. Also in February, Tropical Storm Josie killed 36 people in western Madagascar after causing severe flooding. The final named storm was Tropical Storm Lisette, which dissipated on March 3 after striking Mozambique, killing three people. Despite the early end to the named storms, there were two additional disturbances, one of which became the first July tropical depression in 25 years.

July–December

No storms or tropical depressions had formed during July and December 1997.

Systems

January

In January, the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which allows for the formation of tropical waves, is located in the Southern Hemisphere, remaining there until May. This limits Northern Hemisphere cyclone formation to comparatively rare non-tropical sources. In addition, the month's climate is also an important factor. In the Southern Hemisphere basins, January, at the height of the austral summer, is the most active month by cumulative number of storms since records began. Of the four Northern Hemisphere basins, none is very active in January, as the month is during the winter, but the most active basin is the Western Pacific, which occasionally sees weak tropical storms form during the month. January was unusually active, being the most active month since official records began with ten tropical cyclones formed, all of them were named..
The month began with the formation of Severe Tropical Storm Fabriola in the South-West Indian Ocean on January 2. Fabriola made landfall in Madagascar twice, causing heavy rains and flooding; the number of deaths and the damage caused by the storm are unknown. Severe Tropical Cyclone Rachel in the Australian region caused heavy rainfall between the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Severe Tropical Cyclone Pancho-Helinda became the strongest of the month, with maximum 10-minute winds of 215 km/h and a minimum pressure of 915 mbar. Tropical Depression Hanna in the western Pacific Ocean formed on January 19 without affecting land. Cyclone Gretelle caused damage in Madagascar, killing 152 people and causing $50.1 million in damage. The month ended with the formation of Tropical Storm Freda in the South Pacific Ocean on January 26.
Storm nameDates activeMax wind
km/h 		Pressure
Areas affectedDamage
DeathsRefs
FabriolaJanuary 2–9100 985MadagascarUnknown-
RachelJanuary 2–10130 965Northern Territory, Western AustraliaMinor-
DrenaJanuary 2–13220 935Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, New Zealand$6.7 million3
18SJanuary 8–1395 992---
EvanJanuary 10–16130 965Fiji, Tonga--
Pancho–HelindaJanuary 18–February 7215 915Cocos Islands--
Hannah (Atring)January 19–2455 1002Caroline Islands--
GretelleJanuary 19–31140 950Réunion, Madagascar, Mozambique$50.05 million152
IlettaJanuary 24–30100 975---
FredaJanuary 26–February 2110 980-UnknownUnknown

February

In terms of activity, February is normally similar to January, with activity effectively restricted to the Southern Hemisphere excepting the rare Western Pacific storm. In fact, in the Southern Hemisphere, due to the monsoon being at its height, February tends to see more formation of strong tropical cyclones than January despite seeing marginally fewer overall storms. In the Northern Hemisphere, February is the least active month, with no Eastern or Central Pacific tropical cyclones and only one Atlantic tropical cyclone having ever formed in the month. Even in the Western Pacific, February activity is low: in 1997, the month had never seen any typhoon-strength storms, with the first being 2015's Typhoon Higos.
The month saw a high number of tropical cyclones – eight – although most failed to develop past depression intensity, with only six being named. The first cyclone of the month, Josie, formed on February 5. Josie caused deadly flooding in Mozambique, killing 87 people and directly affecting another 80,000. Tropical Storm Ita, off the Australian coast, made landfall in Queensland before rapidly dissipating. Tropical Storm Lisette made landfall in Mozambique as a Category 1 tropical cyclone, causing the deaths of 87 people; the extent of the damage is unknown. The month ended with the formation of Tropical Cyclone 29P on February 23.
Storm nameDates activeMax wind
km/h 		Pressure
Areas affectedDamage
DeathsRefs
JosieFebruary 5–16140 950Madagascar, MozambiqueUnknown36
GillianFebruary 10–1285 995Papua New Guinea, Queensland--
KarletteFebruary 14–25110 970Rodrigues--
HaroldFebruary 16–24110 975New CaledoniaUnknownUnknown
TDFebruary 18–19FijiUnknown-
ItaFebruary 23–2485 994QueenslandMinor-
LisetteFebruary 24–March 395 980MozambiqueUnknown87
29PFebruary 23–27110 975---

March

During March, activity tends to be lower than in preceding months. In the Southern Hemisphere, the peak of the season has normally already passed, and the monsoon has begun to weaken, decreasing cyclonic activity, however, the month often sees more intense tropical cyclones than January or February. Meanwhile, in the Northern Hemisphere basins, sea surface temperatures are still far too low to normally support tropical cyclogenesis. The exception is the Western Pacific, which usually sees its first storm, often a weak depression, at some point between January and April.
March was a well below-average month, featuring three systems. All of them have been named. The month began in the South Pacific Ocean with Cyclone Gavin, which recently affected the island nations of Tuvalu and Wallis and Futuna, killing 18 people. After Gavin dissipated, Cyclone Hina formed on 11 March, causing more than $15.2 million in damage and was indirectly responsible for one death as it affected Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, and Tonga. The worst impact of the system was recorded on Tongatapu and 'Eua, which are the southernmost islands of the Kingdom of Tonga. Cyclone Justin in the Australian region had a long and erratic track, causing widespread damage in Queensland and Papua New Guinea, killing 34 people in total.
Storm nameDates activeMax wind
km/h 		Pressure
Areas affectedDamage
DeathsRefs
GavinMarch 2–10185 925Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, New Zealand$24.93 million18-
JustinMarch 6–24150 955Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Queensland$190 million34
HinaMarch 11–19120 970Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, TongaUnknown1

April

April was also well below-average, featuring three systems. All of them have been named. Typhoon Isa in the Western Pacific Ocean, became the first of a record eleven super typhoons to occur during the basin, leaving behind $1 million.
Storm nameDates activeMax wind
km/h 		Pressure
Areas affectedDamage
DeathsRefs
IsaApril 12–23155 940Pohnpei, Guam, Rota$1 million-
IanApril 13–1985 987FijiMinimal-
JimmyApril 22–2665 994Marshall Islands, Caroline Islands--

May

Storm nameDates activeMax wind
km/h 		Pressure
Areas affectedDamage
DeathsRefs
JuneMay 2–595 985Fiji$60 millionUnknown
KellyMay 6–1065 998Mariana Islands--
RhondaMay 10–17175 935Cocos Island, Western AustraliaUnknown-
BOB 01May 14–20185 964Bangladesh, Myanmar, IndiaUnknown332–765
LeviMay 26–3075 992Philippines, Ryukyu IslandsUnknown53
37PMay 26–3065 997Vanuatu--
MarieMay 27 – June 1120 965Marshall Islands--

Global effects

There are a total of nine tropical cyclone basins, seven are seasonal and two are non-seasonal, thus all eight basins except the Mediterranean are active. In this table, data from all these basins are added.