Cyclone Cliff

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This article is about the 2007 South Pacific storm. For other uses, see Cyclone Cliff (disambiguation).
Tropical Cyclone Cliff
Category 2 cyclone (Australian scale)
Tropical Storm (SSHWS)

Tropical Cyclone Cliff
Formed April 1, 2007 (2007-04)
Dissipated April 6, 2007 (2007-04-07)
Highest winds 10-minute sustained:
95 km/h (60 mph)
1-minute sustained:
100 km/h (65 mph)
Lowest pressure 980 mbar (hPa); 28.94 inHg
Fatalities 1 direct, 3 indirect
Damage $4.0 million (2007 USD)
Areas affected Fiji and Tonga
Part of the 2006–07 South Pacific cyclone season

Cyclone Cliff (RSMC Nadi designation 14F, JTWC designation 23P) was the 14th Tropical Disturbance, 12th tropical depression and the sixth tropical cyclone, as well as the last tropical disturbance, of the 2006–07 South Pacific cyclone season that formed west of 160E.[1] Cliff was also the eighth tropical cyclone within the Southern Pacific Ocean as a whole.[2] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center also recognized Cliff as the 23rd Tropical Cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere and the 10th within the South Pacific.[1]

Cyclone Cliff formed as a tropical depression on April 3 to the northwest of Fiji. The next day after it had made landfall the depression was upgraded to tropical cyclone status and was named Cliff. Over the next few days Cliff gradually intensified into a category two Cyclone on the Australian Tropical Cyclone Scale whilst remaining at Tropical Storm status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As Cliff moved into TCWC Wellington's area of responsibility Cliff started to show signs of starting its extra tropical transition so as a result TCWC Wellington issued their final advisory on April 6 on former tropical cyclone Cliff. Cyclone Cliff was responsible for one death. In the wake of the storm, an outbreak of typhoid and leptospirosis infected 99 people and killed three across Fiji.[3]

Meteorological history

Early on April 1, 2007 RSMC Nadi reported that a tropical disturbance had formed about 210 km (130 mi) to the southwest of Rotuma. Over the next few days the disturbance remained weak as it moved towards the southwest before it was designated as Tropical Depression 14F early on February 3 despite the system being sheared with convection displaced from the low level circulation center.

Preparations

Fiji

Early on April 4 RSMC Nadi started to issue Special Weather Bulletins for Fiji on Tropical Depression 14F.[4] This bulletin contained a Tropical Cyclone Alert for Vanua Levu, Taveuni as well as the Northern Lau Islands.[4] Later that day RSMC Nadi upgraded these alerts to a Cyclone Gale Warning for Eastern Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Naitaubu, Yacata, Kanacea, Vanua Balavu as well as Vatu Vara.[4] The next day RSMC Nadi canceled these warnings as Cliff moved further away from Fiji.[5]

Tonga

Late on April 4 RSMC Nadi started to issue Special Weather Bulletins for Tonga on Tropical Cyclone Cliff.[4] This Bulletin contained a Tropical Cyclone Alert for Tongatapu and Eua Island with a Strong wind warning in force for the rest of central Tonga.[4] Early the next day RSMC Nadi upgraded these Alerts to Cyclone Gale Warnings for Tongatapu and Eua Island with a Strong wind warning in force for the rest of central Tonga. RSMC Nadi then stopped issuing these warnings the next day as Cliff moved away from Tonga.[5]

Impact

Wettest tropical cyclones in Fiji
Highest known recorded totals
Precipitation Storm Location Ref
Rank mm in
1 1,040 41 Kina 1992-93 Monasavu dam [6]
2 755 29.7 Bebe (1972) Suva [7]
3 615 24.2 Gavin (1997) Monasavu dam [8]
4 529 20.8 Evan 2012 Monasavu dam [9]
5 495 19.5 Mick (2009) Monasavu dam [10]
6 443 17.4 Rae (1990) Monasavu dam [11]
7 341 13.4 June (1997) Monasavu dam [8]
8 311 12.2 Ami (2003) Taveuni Island [12]
9 293 11.5 Tam (2006) Rotuma [13]
10 190 7.5 Cliff (2007) Lakeba [14]

Fiji

Cyclone Cliff’s main impact on Fiji was to bring further flooding to the northern parts of Fiji which had been flooded 3 times during the cyclone season already.[15] Cyclone Cliff was also responsible for a landslide which crashed into a Primary School near Udu Point in the eastern part of Vanua Levu.[16] However the 30 Students inside the school at the time all escaped any serious injuries as they fled to safety.[16]

Cyclone Cliff was also responsible for flooded roads, minor damage to buildings as well as cut water supplies in eastern parts of Vanua Levu as well as on Taveuni Island.[15] The people of Taveuni reported the loss of unaccountable acres of crops as the developing cyclone passed close to the island.[15] Extensive damage was also reported in other parts of the Fijian archipelago including damaged crops & Trees as well as roofs being damaged.[16] Cyclone Cliff was also indirectly responsible for one death in Fiji when a woman was swept from a flooded bridge.[16] It is not known how much damage Cyclone Cliff caused.[15]

Tonga

There was no damage reported in Southern Tonga.[15] However the Tonga's Meteorological Service based in Fua’amotu experienced a power failure on April 4 at 2200 UTC.[17] The standby power could not be restored so therefore operations were shifted to the National Emergency Operations Centre in Nukuʻalofa which is the back up for the Met Service.[17] The National Emergency Operations Centre continued to issue cyclone warnings until the threat posed by Cliff had passed. This was despite the met service being able to continue to operate on a mobile generator.[17]

Retirement

During 2008 RSMC Nadi put a request forward to the World Meteorological Organizations, RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee to have the name Cliff retired. This request was accepted with the name being replaced by Chip.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gary Padgett. "A Review of the 2006-07 Tropical Cyclone Season". Australian Severe Weather. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  2. ↑ "Fiji Islands Climate Summary". RSMC Nadi. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  3. ↑ "Three dead in Fiji disease outbreak". New Zealand Herald. April 19, 2007. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Tropical Cyclone Advisories on 04-04-07". RSMC Nadi. Retrieved 2008-10-11. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Tropical Cyclone Advisories on 05-04-07". RSMC Nadi. Retrieved 2008-10-11. 
  6. ↑ Prasad, Rajendra (February 19, 1992). Tropical Cyclone Kina, December 26, 1992 – January 5, 1993 (Tropical Cyclone Report 92/1). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. http://www.webcitation.org/6Ke6bi063. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Russell D (1986). "Hurricanes in the Fiji Area: Causes and Consequences". New Zealand Journal of Geography 81 (1): 7–12. doi:10.1111/j.0028-8292.1986.tb00222.x. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Terry, James P; Raj, Rishi (1999). "Island Environment and Landscape Responses to 1997 Tropical Cyclones in Fiji". Pacific Science (University of Hawai'i Press) 53 (3): 257–272. Retrieved January 4, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Climate Services Division (January 7, 2013) (PDF). Fiji Islands Climate Summary December 2012 Volume 33 Issue 12 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. http://www.webcitation.org/6DVe7en6n. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  10. ↑ Climate Services Division (January 13, 2010) (PDF). Fiji Islands Climate Summary December 2009 Volume 30 Issue 12 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5nQ9JNIq0. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  11. ↑ Prasad, Rajendra; Fiji Meteorological Service (1990). DeAngellis, Richard M. ed. Tropical Cyclone Rae (Mariners Weather Log: Volume 34, Issue 3: Summer 1990). United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Oceanographic Data Service. p. 43. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uiug.30112104094245. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ Terry, James P.; McGree, Simon; Raj, Rishi (September 1, 2004). "The exceptional flooding in Vanua Levu Island during Tropical Cyclone Ami in January 2003". Journal of Natural Disaster Science (Japan Science and technology information aggregator) 26 (1): 27–36. doi:10.2328/jnds.26.27. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013. 
  13. ↑ Climate Services Division (February 15, 2006) (PDF). Fiji Islands Climate Summary January 2006 Volume 27 Issue 1 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. http://www.wamis.org/countries/fiji/fiji200601.pdf. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  14. ↑ Climate Services Division (May 16, 2007) (PDF). Fiji Islands Climate Summary April 2007 Volume 28 Issue 4 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5njjbmEGO. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 "Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary April 2007". Gary Padgett. Retrieved 2008-10-10. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 "Cyclone Cliff hits Fiji". The Age. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2008-10-11. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Review of the 2006-07 & 2007-08 Tropical Cyclone Seasons (Tonga)". World Meteorological Organization. 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 
  18. ↑ "Tropical Cyclone names". WMO. Retrieved 2008-09-04. 

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