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.

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.

The last storm, Paka, crossed the International Date Line into the Northwestern Pacific Basin on December 6.

[3] The 1997 Pacific hurricane season was fairly active, due to the strong El Niño that was occurring at the time.

El Niño causes wind shear to be reduced and water temperatures to increase, resulting in conditions more conductive for tropical cyclones in the East Pacific.

After a brief period of a normal track to the northwest, Andres was picked up by westerly winds and became the first named storm to threaten Central America.

Initially forecast to cross the isthmus and enter the Caribbean Sea, Andres instead turned to the southeast and paralleled the coast.

Andres caused power outages, flooding rivers, several car crashes, and damage to roughly ten homes.

[10] Blanca briefly threatened land on June 10 as warnings and watches were established by the Mexican Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.

[14] During July 1, an upper-level low to the south of Baja California cut off the north-easterly vertical windshear that the depression had been encountering, which caused deep convection to redevelop near the systems center and the NHC to resume issuing advisories.

[17] Dolores continued to intensify and it reached a peak windspeed of 90 mph (150 km/h), a strong Category 1 hurricane, two days later.

The cyclone then crossed into the Central Pacific Hurricane Center's area of responsibility (west of longitude 140°W) while producing minimal shower activity.

[17] The first major hurricane of the season originated from a broad area of low pressure on July 8 near the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

It weakened to a depression late August 10, but restrengthened back into a storm 24 hours later when it encountered a small area of warmer water.

The thunderstorms organized around a circulation, evolving into a tropical depression early on August 17 while located approximately 520 mi (840 km) southwest of Cabo San Lucas.

After the depression developed a burst of deep convection over its center, the NHC upgraded it to Tropical Storm Ignacio at 12:00 UTC on August 17, with peak sustained winds of 40 mph (64 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 1,005 mbar (29.7 inHg).

However, due to increasingly colder waters and the presence of inhibiting southwesterly wind shear, Ignacio weakened back into a tropical depression on August 18.

Moisture from the system persisted as it passed through the state and the Pacific Northwest, ultimately merging with a larger extratropical cyclone involving the remnants of Hurricane Guillermo.

[26] The unfavorable growing conditions were compounded by further rains from Hurricane Linda in September, creating what was described as a "tumultuous" year for the crops.

[28][29] Two crashes on Interstate 80 forced the closure of four lanes for 30 minutes,[29] while California State Route 9 was blocked in Saratoga by a large tree which fell due to saturated soil.

[31] Rainfall extended as far north as the northwestern United States,[32] ending an unusually long, 35-day dry spell at Astoria, Oregon.

It then encountered an area of strong wind shear, and it weakened into a depression on September 15 as the center of circulation became displaced from the deep convection.

After weakening to a Category 1, Nora made landfall in northern Baja California and stayed a tropical storm as it entered the United States.

[46] Throughout southern Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, flooding caused by Olaf was blamed for eighteen deaths.

[4] Towards the end of October, a tropical disturbance developed well to the southeast of the Hawaiian Islands and became better organized over the next few days, as it moved westwards along 10°N.

Rick made landfall in Oaxaca – the same area devastated by Hurricane Pauline one month earlier – and quickly weakened, dissipating early on November 11.

[52] The storm downed trees, washed out recently repaired roads, and disrupted communications in some small population centers.

[54] As Paka moved westward, dry air and wind shear disrupted its development until it crossed the dateline on December 6.

[4] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) retired the name Pauline in the spring of 1998 from future use in the Eastern Pacific on accounts of impacts in southern Mexico.

It includes their name, duration (within the basin), peak classification and intensities, areas affected, damage, and death totals.