What the record says
Ginger was a typhoon in the Western North Pacific basin that lasted about 10 days, from 21 September 1997 to 1 October 1997. Its peak was Category 5 (145 kt) on 27 September 1997, with a 1-minute sustained wind of 145 kt (167 mph, 269 km/h). Its lowest recorded pressure was 925 hPa.
- Category 5peak intensity
- 145 ktpeak wind (167 mph)
- 925 hPalowest pressure
- 10 dayslifetime
Source of the peak wind: US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific). The regional forecast centre (RSMC Tokyo (Japan Meteorological Agency)) gave a peak of 95 kt on its own averaging convention (10-minute winds), so the two figures differ.
It has its own page because it reached category 5 or stronger.
This page gives the official record's figures. It does not describe the human cost of the storm, which is far larger than any wind speed or pressure here.
Where it came ashore
The record shows no landfall: the storm stayed at sea.
Countries it came within 50 km of
Strongest effect first.
How to read this track
The line joins the storm's six-hourly positions with straight lines, coloured by its intensity at each point, so it shows how the storm strengthened and weakened. The real path curved between the positions. A dashed grey stretch means the storm had become post-tropical. Records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are estimates.
Source: NOAA NCEI IBTrACS, public domain. See data sources and caveats.
Other notable storms of the 1997 Western North Pacific season
- Isa (1997)Category 5
- Nestor (1997)Category 5
- Rosie (1997)Category 5
- Winnie (1997)Category 5
- Ivan (1997)Category 5
- Joan (1997)Category 5
Other notable storms near Marshall Islands
- Hester (1952)27 December 1952 to 6 January 1953, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 950 hPa
- Lola (1957)7 November 1957 to 22 November 1957, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 900 hPa
- Yuri (1991)16 November 1991 to 3 December 1991, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 895 hPa
- Fengshen (2002)13 July 2002 to 28 July 2002, peak Category 5 (145 kt), 920 hPa
- Dolphin (2026)27 July 2026 to 9 August 2026, peak Category 5 (144 kt), 915 hPa, provisional