https://kids.guinnessworldrecords.com en

Tropical cyclone formed closest to the equator

Tropical cyclone formed closest to the equator
Who
Typhoon Vamei
Where
Not Applicable
When
26 December 2001
Historically the regions of Earth extending 300 km north and south of the equator have not been thought capable of generating a tropical cyclone. This is because the Coriolis effect of Earth’s rotation is weakest in this zone. However on 26 December 2001, Typhoon Vamei formed in the South China Sea just 1.4 degrees (150 km) north of the equator. A confluence of other storms is thought to be responsible for Vamei, which lasted until 1 January 2002 and caused damage in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.