South Pacific tropical cyclone

A South Pacific tropical cyclone is a non frontal, low pressure system that has developed, within an environment of warm sea surface temperatures and little vertical wind shear aloft in the South Pacific Ocean.^[1] Within the Southern Hemisphere there are officially three areas where tropical cyclones develop on a regular basis, these areas are the South-West Indian Ocean between Africa and 90°E, the Australian region between 90°E and 160°E and the South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. The South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W is officially monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service and New Zealand's MetService, while others like the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also monitor the basin. Each tropical cyclone year within this basin starts on July 1 and runs throughout the year, encompassing the tropical cyclone season which runs from November 1 and lasts until April 30 each season. Within the basin, most tropical cyclones have their origins within the South Pacific Convergence Zone or within the Northern Australian monsoon trough, both of which form an extensive area of cloudiness and are dominant features of the season. Within this region a tropical disturbance is classified as a tropical cyclone, when it has 10-minute sustained wind speeds of more than 65 km/h (35 mph), that wrap halfway around the low level circulation centre, while a severe tropical cyclone is classified when the maximum 10-minute sustained wind speeds are greater than 120 km/h (75 mph).

Warning centers

During June 1995, the Fiji Meteorological Service's Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre, was designated as a Regional Specialised Meteorological Center by the World Meteorological Organisation.

Seasons

1970s

Season	Total TD's	Total TC's	Total STC's	Strongest storm	Deaths	Damages	Notes and References
1969–70	7	7	2				[2][3]
1970–71	8	8	0				[4]
1971–72	13	13	11				[5]
1972–73	8	8	2	Bebe			[6]
1973–74	11	11	2				[4]
1974–75	5	5	3				[5]
1975–76	10	10	5				[4]
1976–77	9	9	2				[3]
1977–78	8	8	3				[2][3]
1978–79	6	6	3				[4]
1979–80	8	7	2				[2]

1980s

During the 1980s there were three major Southern Oscillation episodes; two El Niño's (1982–83 and 1986/87) when the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) was negative and one La Nina when the SOI was positive.^[7]

Season	Total TD's	Total TC's	Total STC's	Strongest storm	Deaths	Damages	Notes and References
1980–81	14	14	4	Freda			[7]
1981–82	6	6	5	Gyan			[7][8]
1982–83	16	14	10	Oscar			[6][7]
1983–84	8	8	3	Beti			[5][7]
1984–85	9	9	5	Hina			[7][8][9]
1985–86	10	10	4	Ima	>150		[5][7][9]
1986–87	13	12	6	Uma	50	$150 million	[6][5][7][9]
1987–88	6	5	3	Anne			[2][7]
1988–89	14	14	6	Harry			[7]
1989–90	11	6	2	Ofa	8	$180 million	[7]
Totals	108	99	48	Hina

1990s

Season	Total TD's	Total TC's	Total STC's	Strongest storm	Deaths	Damages	Notes and References
1990–91	5	3	1	Sina	None	$18.5 million	[8][A 1]
1991–92	12	11	7	Fran	21		[2][A 2]
1992–93	10	10	6	Joni/Prema	None		[2]
1993–94	7	5	4	Theodore	None		[4]
1994–95	3	2	0	William	None	$2.5 million	[3][10][11]
1995–96	6	4	1	Beti	2	$4.3 million	[12][13]
1996–97	13	12	6	Gavin	27	$44 million	[A 3][8]
1997–98	20	16	7	Ron/Susan	50	$7.6 million	[6][16]
1998–99	27	8	4	Dani			[16][17]
1999-00	24	6	4	Kim	1		[16][18]
Totals	127	77	38	Ron/Susan	101

2000s

During the 2000s, activity was generally below the long term average, with 60 tropical cyclones developing out of 160 tropical disturbances and tropical depressions. However activity during the 2002-03, 2004–05 and 2009–10 seasons all experienced activity, near the long term average of about 8 - 9 tropical cyclones.

Season	Total TD's	Total TC's	Total STC's	Strongest storm	Deaths	Damages (USD)	Notes and References
2000–01	16	4	1	Paula	7	$800 thousand	[5][16]
2001–02	16	5	2	Waka	1	$51.3 million	[8][16]
2002–03	18	10	7	Zoe	50	$102 million	[3][16][19]
2003–04	15	3	2	Heta	16	$387 million	[16]
2004–05	19	9	5	Percy	2	$55 million	[2][3][16][20]
2005–06	15	5	3	Wati	None	$26 thousand	[5][16][21]
2006–07	15	6	2	Xavier	4	$4 million	[3][16]
2007–08	16	4	3	Daman	8	$46 million	[16][22]
2008–09	15	6	0	Lin	11	$65 million	[5][16][23]
2009–10	15	8	5	Ului	12	$163 million	[2][16]
Totals	160	60	30	Zoe	111	874 million

2010s

Season	Total TD's	Total TC's	Total STC's	Strongest storm	Deaths	Damages (USD)	Notes and References
2010–11	17	7	5	Wilma	4	$25 million	[16][24][A 4]
2011–12	20	3	1	Jasmine	13	$17.2 million	[27]
2012–13	22	5	4	Sandra	17	$161 million	[28]
2013–14	20	6	2	Ian	12	$48 million	[29]
2014–15	16	6	2	Pam	16	> $250 million	[30]
2015–16	18	8	5	Winston	50	≥ $261 million	[A 5]
Totals	113	35	18	Pam	112	≥ $760 million

See also

• Tropical cyclone
• Atlantic hurricane season
• Pacific hurricane season
• Pacific typhoon season
• North Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season
• South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season
• Australian region tropical cyclone season

Notes

1. Number of tropical cyclones includes one unnamed cyclone that was added after the season by the Fiji Meteorological Service and the Meteorological service of New Zealand.
2. Cyclone Arthur was considered to be a regeneration of Cyclone Wasa, as a result it is counted in this list as one tropical cyclone and not two.
3. During the 1996–97 South Pacific cyclone season, 11 tropical cyclones formed within RSMC Nadi's area of responsibility, while one formed within the subtropics and TCWC Wellington's area of responsibility.^[8][14][15]
4. Number of tropical cyclones excludes Tropical Cyclone Anthony, which was considered to have weakened into a tropical low before moving into the South Pacific basin by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology during post analysis.^[25][26]
5. Number of tropical disturbances excludes Tropical Cyclone Raquel, which was considered by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to be a Category 1 tropical cyclone within the 2014-15 year.^[25][31]

References

1. RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee (May 5, 2015). List of Tropical Cyclone Names withdrawn from use due to a Cyclone's Negative Impact on one or more countries (PDF) (Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South-East Indian Ocean and the Southern Pacific Ocean 2014). World Meteorological Organization. pp. 2B–1 – 2B–4 (23 – 26). Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
2. RSMC Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 18, 2012). "2012/13 Tropical Cyclone Season Outlook in the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre Area of Responsibility" (PDF). Fiji Meteorological Service. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
3. RSMC Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 15, 2014). "2014/15 Tropical Cyclone Season Outlook in the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre Area of Responsibility" (PDF). Fiji Meteorological Service. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
4. Climate Services Division; RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 26, 2010). Tropical Cyclone Guidance for Season 2010/11 for the Fiji and the Southwest Pacific (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
5. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 27, 2011). "2011–12 Tropical Cyclone Season Outlook in the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (RSMC Nadi – TCC) Area of Responsibility (AOR)". Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
6. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 22, 2015). "2015–16 Tropical Cyclone Season Outlook in the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (RSMC Nadi – TCC) Area of Responsibility (AOR)". Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 22, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
7. Thompson, Craig; Ready, Stephen; Zheng, Xiaogu (1992). Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: November 1979 – May 1989 (PDF). New Zealand Meteorological Service, (Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research). ISBN 0-477-07346-8. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
8. RSMC Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (October 11, 2013). "2013/14 Tropical Cyclone Season Outlook in the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre Area of Responsibility" (PDF). Fiji Meteorological Service. p. 2. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
9. Revell, Cliff G (1987). "The 1986/87 Hurricane Season in the South Pacific" (PDF). Weather and Climate (The Meteorological Society of New Zealand) 7 (2): 4.
10. Shepherd, I.J; Bates, P.W (June 2, 1997). "The South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Season 1994-95" (PDF). Australian Meteorological Magazine (Bureau of Meteorology) (46): 143–151. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
11. Barr, Joe (September 17, 2008). "Event Information: Tropical Cyclone William". Pacific Disaster.Net. Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
12. Australian National Tidal Facility (1996). "The South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Change Newsletter" (PDF). South Pacific Regional Environment Program. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
13. Callaghan, Jeff (December 4, 1997). "The South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Season 1995–96" (PDF). Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal (Australian Bureau of Meteorology) 46: 325–339. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
14. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre; TCWC Brisbane; TCWC Wellington (May 22, 2009). "RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre Best Track Data for 1996/97 Cyclone Season". Fiji Meteorological Service, Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, Australian Bureau of Meteorology. United States: International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
15. "Matt Megan's World". The Manawatu Standard (Palmerston North, New Zealand). April 2, 1997. p. 3. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
16. Padgett, Gary (1997–2011). "Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summaries". Archived from the original on 2011. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
17. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre (1999). RSMC Nadi Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Summary 1998–99 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
18. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre (2000). RSMC Nadi Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Summary 1999–2000 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
19. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre. "Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Summary 2002–03". Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
20. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre. Tropical Cyclone Summary 2004 — 2005 Season (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 16, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
21. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre. "Tropical Cyclone Season Summary: 2005–2006 Season". Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 27, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
22. RSMC Nadi — Tropical Cyclone Centre; Fiji Meteorological Service (2008). Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Summary 2007–08 (Report). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
23. RSMC Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (September 24, 2012). Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 2008–09. Fiji Meteorological Service (Report) (World Meteorological Organization's Tropical Cyclone Project). Retrieved October 21, 2012.
24. Climate Services Division (May 11, 2012). Fiji Islands Climate Summary April 2011 Volume 32 Issue 04 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
25. "The Australian Tropical Cyclone Database" (CSV). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. A guide on how to read the database is available here.
26. Auden, Tony (June 21, 2011). Tropical Cyclone Anthony: January 23 - 31, 2011 (PDF) (Report). Australian Bureau of Meteorology's Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
27. Young, Steve (January 14, 2013). "Southern Hemisphere 2011–2012 Tropical Cyclone Season Review". Australian Severe Weather. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
28. Young, Steve (July 16, 2013). "Southern Hemisphere 2012–2013 Tropical Cyclone Season Review". Australian Severe Weather. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
29. Young, Steve (July 24, 2014). "Southern Hemisphere 2013–2014 Tropical Cyclone Season Review". Australian Severe Weather. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
30. Climate Services Division (August 18, 2015). Fiji Annual Climate Summary: 2014 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
31. Queensland Regional Office (September 2015). Tropical Cyclone Raquel: January 23 - 31, 2011 (Report). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved September 15, 2015.

External links

• World Meteorological Organization
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology
• Fiji Meteorological Service
• Meteorological Service of New Zealand
• Joint Typhoon Warning Center