Wildfire and Rip Current in Guam, January 1 to 31, 1998

Name: Wildfire and Rip Current in Guam, January 1 to 31, 1998
Start: 1998-01-01T01:00
End: 1998-01-31T01:00
Location: Guam

January 1 to 31, 1998 · NWS GUA · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Rip Current for Guam on January 18, 1998 from 1330 to 1545 LST. One person got caught in the rip currents at the beach at Sirena Beach, which is near Ritidian Point.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 3
Property damage: $70,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GUA wrote it up.

Rip Current for Guam on January 18, 1998 from 1330 to 1545 LST. One person got caught in the rip currents at the beach at Sirena Beach, which is near Ritidian Point. One person went in to try to rescue the person, but couldn't. A third person went in and got caught in the same current.Wildfires over the southern sections of Guam. These began on January 15 and continued into January 20th LST. These fires were a combination of tree damage left from Super Typhoon Paka in December and dry conditions from a beginning drought. The Guam Fire Department reported 115 fires with 1380 acres burntDrought in Micronesia. Rainfall levels are well below average across the Micronesian islands of Chuuk, Pohnpei, Yap, Palau and Majuro. Also the smaller outer islands were effected by the drought. In Pohnpei water rationing was begun. Small streams have dried up in Pohnpei with the flow in the large rivers slowed.

Event by event

3 drought, 1 wildfire, 1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Micronesia

When: January 1, 1:00 AM HST to January 31, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Micronesia forecast zone

Drought, Guam

When: January 1, 1:00 AM HST to January 31, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Guam forecast zone

Drought, Marshall Islands

When: January 1, 1:00 AM HST to January 31, 1:00 AM HST
Where: Marshall Islands forecast zone

Wildfire, Guam

When: January 14, 11:00 AM HST to January 19, 8:00 PM HST
Where: Guam County, Talofofo
Property damage: $70,000

Rip Current, Guam

When: January 17, 5:30 PM HST to January 18, 7:45 PM HST
Where: Guam County, Ritidian Point
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
Rip Current: A narrow, fast current flowing away from the beach that caused a drowning or rescue.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Guam in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, January 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5639210, 5639211, 5639212, 5639209, 5639208.