page_title: Tropical Storm Linda (1997)
section_title: Meteorological history
hierarchical_section_title: Tropical Storm Linda (1997) / Meteorological history
caption_attribution_description: Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale TD TS 1 2 3 4 5 English: Typhoon Linda Pacific 1997 track. Uses the color scheme from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
context_page_description: Severe Tropical Storm Linda, also known as Typhoon Linda, Cyclonic Storm BOB 08, or in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Openg, was the worst typhoon in southern Vietnam in at least 100 years, killing thousands of people and leaving extensive damage. It formed on October 31, 1997 in the South China Sea, between Indochina and the Philippines. Strengthening as it moved westward, Linda struck extreme southern Vietnam on November 2 with winds of 65 mph, dropping heavy rainfall. Once in the Gulf of Thailand it strengthened further to minimal typhoon status, but weakened to tropical storm strength before crossing the Malay Peninsula into the Bay of Bengal, the first storm to do so in five years. It restrengthened in the Indian Ocean to typhoon status, but increasing wind shear and weakened steering currents caused Linda to dissipate on November 9.
  The worst of Linda's impact was in Vietnam, where 3,111 people were killed, and damage totaled $385 million. Heavy rainfall caused flooding, which damaged or destroyed about 200,000 houses and left about 383,000 people homeless. Widespread crop and transportation damage also occurred, the latter which impeded relief efforts.
context_section_description: The origins of Typhoon Linda were from an area of convection that were first noted east of the Philippines on October 26. A subtropical ridge persisted to the north, which caused the disturbance to move generally westward. On October 29, the system crossed the Philippines and entered the South China Sea. It subsequently began to organize, and late on October 31, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories on Tropical Depression 30W. At that time, the system was located off the northwest coast of Borneo. The PAGASA organization named it "Openg".
  Shortly after developing, the depression intensified into a tropical storm, and was named "Linda" by the JTWC. It continued to intensify, reaching winds of 65 mph (100 km/h) as it approached southern Vietnam. At 0900 UTC on November 2, Linda made landfall in the Vietnamese province of Cà Mau. It maintained its strength over land, and the storm quickly reached typhoon status after entering the Gulf of Thailand; a typhoon is a tropical cyclone with winds of at least 75 mph (120 km/h), although Linda did not intensify beyond minimal typhoon status. Turning northwestward, Linda deteriorated to tropical storm strength, and struck Thailand late on November 3 with winds of 65 mph (100 km/h).
  Linda weakened further over the mountainous terrain of the Malay Peninsula, and the storm emerged into the Andaman Sea with winds of 50 mph (85 km/h). This made Linda the first tropical cyclone since Tropical Storm Forrest in 1992 to cross from the western Pacific Ocean into the Indian Ocean. Additionally, upon reaching the Indian Ocean, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classified the storm as Cyclonic Storm BOB 08, with winds of 40 mph (70 km/h). With warm waters, Tropical Storm Linda gradually re-intensified as it slowed down, due to a weakness in the subtropical ridge. On November 6, it again attained typhoon status while located off the southwest coast of Burma (Myanmar). Initially, it was expected to cross the Bay of Bengal and make landfall near the India/Bangladesh border. The cyclone only maintained peak strength for 18 hours, due to an increase in wind shear from a mid-latitude trough. Linda's motion became nearly stationary, and it gradually weakened for several days. On November 9, Linda dissipated about 375 miles (600 km) southwest of Yangon, Burma. That day, the IMD also terminated advisories.
caption: Map plotting the track and the intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
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