Severe Tropical Cyclone Keli (NPMOC/JTWC Designation: 38P) was the first recorded post-season tropical cyclone to form in June within the South Pacific Ocean. The system formed on June 7, 1997, about 460 kilometers (285 mi) to the north of Tokelau. The depression gradually developed over the next few days while moving southwestward. It was designated as Tropical Cyclone Keli early the next day. Cyclone Keli intensified, slowly reaching its 10-minute peak wind speeds of , which made it a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale. As it came under the influence of strong mid latitude westerlies and moved into an area of strong vertical wind shear, the cyclone started to weaken and was declared extratropical on June 15.
Cyclone Keli struck the islands of Tuvalu on June 12 and 13, with extensive damage reported throughout the Islands with trees uprooted by wind and waves. On Nivalakita, all buildings except for the church were flattened; an estimated cost to rebuild all of the houses as they were before the cyclone hit was estimated at A$ (US$), while it was estimated that the cost of rebuilding the houses with an improved, cyclone-resistant design would be about A$ (US$). The whole of Tepuka Savilivili was left uninhabitable, as coconut trees and other vegetation were swept away with no more than an area of jagged coral left behind. In Fiji, strong winds and rough seas were reported from the cyclone as it was moving to the north of Fiji, and while the cyclone was weakening it dropped 3.76 inches (95.5mm) of rain on American Samoa.
Meteorological history
During June 7, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) reported that a weak tropical low had emerged from the South Pacific Convergence Zone, to the northeast of the New Zealand territory of Tokelau. Over the next couple of days, the low gradually developed further as it was steered slowly westwards by mid-level easterly winds, into an area of strong upper-level diffulence and an abnormal area of high sea-surface temperatures. During June 9, the United States Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (NPMOC) issued a tropical cyclone formation alert for the system, before they initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 38P at 00:00 UTC (12:00 Tuvalu Time (TVT)) on June 10. Six hours later, the FMS named the system Keli after it had developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, while it was located about to the northeast of the island of Niulakita in Tuvalu. After being named, the system moved south-westwards towards Niulakita as it continued to gradually intensify becoming a category 2 tropical cyclone, before it passed just to the north of the island at about 03:00 UTC (15:00 TVT) on June 11. As Keli approached Niulakita, its general movement slowed down and it performed a clockwise cyclonic loop to the north of the island, while a mid-level trough of low pressure approached the system from the west. As a result of its slow movement keeping the system in an area of low vertical windshear, Keli continued to intensify with a cloud-filled eye appearing on satellite imagery.