Tropical Storm Axel (1992)

Severe Tropical Storm Axel was a moderate tropical storm which affected the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana islands in January 1992. The first tropical depression and storm of the 1992 Pacific typhoon season, Axel developed from a significant equatorial westerly wind burst east of New Guinea, alongside two other cyclones, Betsy and Mark, in the Southern Hemisphere, intensifying at an abnormally low latitude. By January 9, Axel had peaked as a high-end tropical storm, passing near Kosrae and Pingelap in the eastern Caroline Islands. Soon after, Axel began steadily weakening due to increased wind shear. As a result, just prior of passing south of Guam, Axel weakened into a tropical depression. Recurving northwards soon after, on January 15, Axel transitioned into an extratropical low, dissipating just a few hours later.

The worst cyclone to affect the Marshall Islands in over 70 years, Axel caused extensive damage, causing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide over $2 million in aid to more than 1,300 people. The storm destroyed airport runways, water reservoirs, crops, and vegetation, leaving many residents homeless. Majuro was severely impacted as high surf and flooding contaminated its primary water source and damaged infrastructure. Jaluit Atoll also suffered, with widespread flooding and destroyed sanitation facilities. In the eastern Caroline Islands, Axel caused significant crop loss and infrastructure damage, particularly to airstrips on Pingelap and Mokil atolls. The storm caused power outages and flooding on Pohnpei, but left Guam relatively unscathed as it weakened.