1993–94 South Pacific cyclone season
| First storm formed | December 26, 1993 |
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| Last storm dissipated | April 25, 1994 |
| Strongest storm | Theodore – 930 hPa (mbar), 175 km/h (110 mph) (10-minute sustained) |
| Total depressions | 7 |
| Tropical cyclones | 5 |
| Severe tropical cyclones | 4 |
| Total fatalities | None reported |
| Total damage | Unknown |
| South Pacific cyclone seasons 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 |
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| Related articles | |
The 1993–94 South Pacific cyclone season was a near average tropical cyclone season with five tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific to the east of 160°E. The season officially ran from November 1, 1993, to April 30, 1994 with the first disturbance of the season forming on December 26 and the last disturbance dissipating on April 25.
During the season, tropical cyclones were officially monitored by the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC) in Nadi, Fiji, and the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centers (TCWC) in Brisbane, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand.[1] Throughout the season the United States Navy also monitored the basin and issued unofficial warnings, through its Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and Naval Western and Oceanography Center (NWOC).[2] Tropical cyclones that were located between 160°E and 120°W as well as the Equator and 25°S were monitored by RSMC Nadi while any that were located to the south of 25°S between 160°E and 120°W were monitored by TCWC Wellington.[1] During the season the JTWC issued warnings on any tropical cyclone that was located between 160°E and 180° while the NPMOC issued warnings for tropical cyclones forming between the 180° and the American coast. RSMC Nadi and TCWC Wellington both used the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale, and measured windspeeds over a 10-minute period during the season, while the JTWC and the NPMOC measured sustained windspeeds over a 1 -minute period.[1][2]
Contents |
Seasonal summary
Storms
Severe Tropical Cyclone Rewa
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | December 26 – January 23 | ||
| Intensity | 150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min), 950 mbar (hPa) | ||
The disturbance that became Cyclone Rewa was first identified on December 26, by the JTWC to the south-east of Nauru Island. Over the next couple of days, the disturbance gradually developed while moving to the south-south-west, before it was named Rewa by TCWC Nadi late on December 28. During the next day, Rewa continued to move towards the south-south-west moving through the Solomon Islands, while crossing 160°E and exited the South Pacific basin. Once in the Australian region, the cyclone continued to intensify and turned southward, paralleling the Eastern Australian coast during 31 December. Rewa further intensified over the next two days and reached its initial peak intensity as a Category 4 tropical cyclone on January 2. The system maintained this intensity for about 12 hours before it began to weaken due to an increase in wind shear by January 3. It then moved back into the South Pacific basin during January 4, with TCWC Nadi reporting that the system had peak 10-minute windspeeds of 150 km/h (90 mph), which made it a category three severe tropical cyclone. As it moved back into the basin, Rewa continued to weaken before passing around the south coast of New Caledonia during January 5 and 6.
After affecting New Caledonia, Rewa weakened into a tropical depression and moved towards the northwest over the next few days, before re-entering the Australian basin during January 10 and started to show signs of reintensification. Over the next few days the cyclone moved towards the north north-west and started to affect Papua New Guinea for the second time before it was renamed Rewa during 13 January while it recurved and started to move towards the south-west. Over the next few days the cyclone continued to move to the south-east towards the South Pacific basin, before as it peaked in intensity on 16 January as a category 5 severe tropical cyclone, Rewa turned and started to move towards the south-west. Over the next few days, the cyclone gradually weakened while it moved towards the south-west and a predicted landfall near Mackay in Queensland. However during 18 January, Rewa interacted with an upper level trough and as a result turned and started to move towards the south-east along the Queensland coast. Rewa then degenerated into an extratropical cyclone during 20 January, with its remnants last noted bringing heavy rain to New Zealand on 23 January.
Tropical Cyclone 07P
| Tropical depression (SSHS) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Duration | January 6 – January 8 | ||
| Intensity | 55 km/h (35 mph) (1-min), 1002 mbar (hPa) | ||
On January 6, the NPMOC reported that Tropical Cyclone 07P, had developed out of an area of low pressure, that had persisted for several days near Fiji with peak windspeeds of 55 km/h (35 mph) equivalent to a tropical depression. During the next day the depression remained broad and poorly organized as it moved towards the southeast. Later that day 07P moved across Tonga's northern islands, before the NPMOC issued their final advisory on January 8 as the system weakened into a remnant low.[3][4]
Severe Tropical Cyclone Sarah
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | January 22 – February 4 | ||
| Intensity | 165 km/h (105 mph) (10-min), 945 mbar (hPa) | ||
On January 18, a weak low pressure area developed to the north of Fiji, within a trough of low pressure that extended from a weakening Cyclone Rewa to the northwest of Fiji. Over the next few days the low moved towards the west and passed between the Vanuation islands of Vila and Santo on January 21. Once the low had moved into the Coral Sea it started to rapidly develop further, with both RSMC Nadi and the JTWC reporting early on January 22, that the low had developed into a tropical cyclone, with the latter naming it Sarah.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Theodore
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 4 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | February 26 – March 3 | ||
| Intensity | 185 km/h (115 mph) (10-min), 933 mbar (hPa) | ||
Severe Tropical Cyclone Tomas
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
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| Category 3 tropical cyclone (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | March 19 – March 27 | ||
| Intensity | 155 km/h (100 mph) (10-min), 955 mbar (hPa) | ||
Tropical Cyclone Usha
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) | |||
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| Tropical storm (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | March 22 – April 4 | ||
| Intensity | 95 km/h (60 mph) (10-min), 980 mbar (hPa) | ||
Tropical Depression 29P
| Tropical depression (SSHS) | |||
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| Duration | April 24 – April 25 | ||
| Intensity | 55 km/h (35 mph) (1-min), 1000 mbar (hPa) | ||
On April 20, the JTWC started to monitor an area of low pressure that located over the Solomon Islands about 155 km (95 mi) to the north of Honiara.[5] During that day the disturbance moved towards the southeast and passed over several of the Solomon Islands, before emerging into the Australian basin.[5] Over the next couple of days the disturbance gradually developed further while moving towards the southwest before re-curving and moving southeastwards.[5] On April 24, as it moved back into the South Pacific basin, the JTWC initiated advisories on the disturbance, designating it as Tropical Cyclone 29P, with peak windspeeds equivalent to a tropical depression.[5][6] As the system was classified, it recurved again and started to move slowly towards the northwest, and started to feel the effects of a hgih amount of vertical windshear.[5][6] As a result of the windshear, the center became exposed and displaced from the deep convection before the JTWC issued their final advisory on April 25 as 29P weakened into an area of low pressure, before dissipating later that day about 600 km (370 mi) to the southwest of Honiara.[5][6]
Season effects
This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific basin during the 1993–94 season. It includes their intensity on the Australian Tropical cyclone intensity scale, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, and damages. For most storms the data is taken from TCWC Nadi and Wellingtons archives, however data for 07P and 29P has been taken from the JTWC and the NPMOC archives as opposed to TCWC Nadi, Brisbane and Wellingtons, and thus the winds are over 1-minute as opposed to 10-minutes.
| Storm Name |
Dates active | Storm category at peak intensity |
Peak 10-min sustained winds |
Pressure | Areas affected | Damage (USD) |
Deaths | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rewa | December 26 - January 23 | Category 3 Severe Tropical Cyclone | 150 km/h (90 mph) | 950 hPa (28.06 inHg) | Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand | Unknown | 22 | |
| 07P | January 6-8 | Tropical Depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Solomon Islands | None | None | |
| Sarah | January 18 – February 4 | Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 945 hPa (27.91 inHg) | ||||
| Theodore | February 26 – March 3 | Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 933 hPa (27.55 inHg) | ||||
| Tomas | March 19 – 27 | Category 3 severe tropical cyclone | 155 km/h (100 mph) | 955 hPa (28.20 inHg) | ||||
| Usha | March 22 – April 4 | Category 2 tropical cyclone | 95 km/h (60 mph) | 980 hPa (28.94 inHg) | ||||
| 29P | April 24-25 | Tropical Depression | 55 km/h (35 mph) | 1000 hPa (29.53 inHg) | Solomon Islands | None | None | |
| Season Aggregates | ||||||||
| 7 systems | December 26 – April 25 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 933 hPa (27.55 inHg) | |||||
See also
- List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons
- List of South Pacific cyclone seasons
- Atlantic hurricane seasons: 1990, 1991
- Pacific hurricane seasons: 1990, 1991
- Pacific typhoon seasons: 1990, 1991
- North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 1990, 1991
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Unattributed (1999). "Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean". World Meteorological Organization. http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/documents/doc/Op-pln99.doc. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Unattributed (1998). "1996 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. p. 240. http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/atcr/1996atcr.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
- ^ Beven, Jack (1994-01-11). "Weekly tropical cyclone summary #127 (January 2 - 9, 1994)". http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.meteorology/browse_thread/thread/4e9b4e148cd7bc7d/bbe2e6637dbe67c2?. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ^ "Tropical Cyclone 07P Best Track Analysis". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. United States Navy. 2001-05-21. http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/best_tracks/1994/1994s-bsh/bsh071994.txt. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ a b c d e f Unattributed (2001-05-21). "Tropical Cyclone 29P Best Track Analysis". Joint Typhoon Warning Center. United States Navy. http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/best_tracks/1994/1994s-bsh/bsh291994.txt. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
- ^ a b c Roth, David (1994-04-12). "Weekly Tropical Cyclone Summary #140 (April 3 - 10, 1994)". http://groups.google.com/group/sci.geo.meteorology/browse_thread/thread/79eacfdbf3852891/036cb3fa4e7553fb?. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
External links
- World Meteorological Organization
- Fiji Meteorological Service
- Meteorological Service of New Zealand
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center
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