Typhoon Paka

As the weather synoptics of the northern Pacific Ocean transitioned into a late-fall to early winter-type pattern, convection from the monsoon trough extended to the east of the International Date Line. During late November, a westerly disturbance developed into twin troughs on opposite sides of the equator; the one in the Southern Hemisphere eventually developed into Tropical Cyclone Pam, while the one in the Northern Hemisphere formed into an area of convection about southwest of Hawaii. The disturbance gradually organized as it drifted north-northeastward, and on 28 November it developed into Tropical Depression Five-C about west-northwest of Palmyra Atoll. Operationally, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) did not begin issuing warnings on the system until 2 December. The tropical depression continued drifting north-northeastward, and failed to strengthen significantly. It turned to the west on 1 December, due to the presence of a strong anticyclone to its north with a ridge extending westward past the International Date Line. On 2 December, based on satellite estimates, the CPHC upgraded the depression to Tropical Storm Paka while located about south-southeast of Johnston Atoll. Due to the presence of high clouds across the area, forecasters had difficulty at times in locating the low-level circulation. After becoming a tropical storm, Paka remained nearly stationary for about two days before resuming a slow motion to the west-southwest. It steadily intensified due to warm water temperatures, and on 3 December the storm attained winds of . The next day, however, it encountered dry air and began weakening; by 6 December, the winds had decreased to minimal tropical storm status for about 12 hours. Subsequently, Paka began to re-intensify, and on 7 December the storm crossed the International Date Line into the western North Pacific Ocean with winds of . The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) unofficially assumed warning duties for interests in the United States Department of Defense. Paka continued to intensify after crossing the date line, and from late on 7 December through early the following day it remained a strong tropical storm. However, upper-level wind shear increased, and it again weakened. At 1200 UTC on 9 December, the JTWC assessed Paka as an tropical storm and forecast it to continue weakening. By 10 December, the shear had begun to decrease as the storm moved through the Marshall Islands, and that night the JTWC upgraded Paka to typhoon status. It slowed and began to re-intensify as it continued westward, and at 0530 UTC on 16 December the northern portion of the outer eyewall of Paka passed over the island of Rota; 20 minutes later, the southern portion of the inner wall cloud moved across northern Guam. Shortly thereafter, Paka moved through an area of progressively increasing wind shear, which resulted in a steady weakening trend. By 21 December, winds decreased to tropical storm status. The next day, it degenerated into a tropical depression before it dissipated on 23 December. ==Preparations and impact==

Marshall Islands Prior to the typhoon passing through the Marshall Islands, several hundred residents on the island of Ebeye fled to safer structures. The threat of Paka prevented Continental Micronesia from flying in or out of the area. Paka entered the Marshall Islands between Mili and Majuro as a tropical storm on 10 December, and after strengthening into a typhoon, it left the archipelago on 14 December. The cyclone affected several islands in the nation, and the Majuro and Kwajalein atolls reported wind gusts in excess of . Strong waves inundated low-lying islands, which flooded crops with salt water. which at the time was considered the highest wind speed on record, surpassing the 1934 world record of on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. However, a subsequent wind survey of the area discarded the reading at the base, as it was considered unreliable. Waves along northern Guam reached about in height. The strong winds from Paka left around 1,500 buildings destroyed on the island, but the typhoon caused no deaths on the island. While passing to the south of the island, Paka dropped of rain. Damage on the island totaled $4.4 million (1997 USD, $6.4 million 2015 USD). The typhoon also produced above-normal precipitation on Saipan. ==Aftermath==

Following the passage of the typhoon in the Ailinglaplap Atoll in the Marshall Islands, residents experienced severe food shortages due to damaged crops and little rainfall. Experts estimated the entire redevelopment of its fauna would require more than a decade. As a result of the crop shortage, large-scale evacuations of the islands' residents were considered. Officials in the nation requested assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States, and on 20 March 1998, the area was declared a disaster area; the declaration allowed for the usage of emergency funds. On 17 December 1997, President Bill Clinton declared Guam a federal disaster area, making it eligible for federal assistance. One week later, a disaster declaration was ordered for the Northern Mariana Islands. Ultimately, FEMA received 14,770 Individual Assistance Applications from residents on Guam. In turn, FEMA provided the residents with over $27 million in assistance (1997 USD, $39 million 2015 USD). The entire island of Guam was left without power after Paka. Water and sewage systems on Guam were directly affected minimally by the typhoon. With the usage of power generators, most areas of the island had water pumping capabilities within a few days after the typhoon. The Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport was partially reopened to daytime flights a day after the typhoon, and by a week after the passage of Paka the airport was fully re-opened. ==See also==