Cyclone Wasa-Arthur

Tropical Cyclone Wasa-Arthur

Category 4 cyclone (Australian scale) Category 3 Tropical Cyclone (SSHWS)
Severe Tropical Cyclone Wasa while it was near its peak intensity.
Formed	December 3, 1991
Dissipated	December 18, 1991
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 195 km/h (120 mph)
Lowest pressure	940 mbar (hPa); 27.76 inHg
Fatalities	2
Damage	$60 million (1992 USD)
Areas affected	French Polynesia
Part of the 1991–92 South Pacific cyclone season

Severe Tropical Cyclone Wasa-Arthur was the first major tropical cyclone, to affect French Polynesia and Tahiti since 1983. The system was first noted on December 3, as a shallow tropical depression embedded within the monsoon trough to the north of the Cook Island: Rarotonga. Over the next couple of days the system gradually developed further, before it was classified as a tropical cyclone and named Wasa during December 5. Embedded within a favorable environment, Wasa slowly intensified, and developed hurricane-force winds on December 6. After performing a loop, Wasa moved southwards, and on December 8, Wasa attained peak intensity. Wasa slowly weakened thereafter and during December 11, Wasa moved through the Society Islands. The next day, Wasa passed through the Austral Islands. Warnings on Wasa were dropped during December 13, even though the cyclone was moving northeast into an area of warmer sea surface temperatures. However, the remnants of Wasa were re-designated as Arthur later that day. On December 14, Arthur passed close to Mururoa, before reaching a secondary peak intensity. During December 18, Arthur slowly weakened and was subsequently lasted noted dissipating north of the Pitcairn islands.

Throughout French Polynesia, two people perished, a woman and her child. In Rurutu, a harbour as well as a nearby school and police station was destroyed. Overall, 367 houses were destroyed and an additional 855 dwellings were damaged. Damage totaled to US$60 million. Following the passage of Wasa-Arthur, the French Government incurred costs of about FF68 million including FF53 million for the efforts of the French Military. The French Polynesian Government subsequently borrowed FF55 million and built up a fund from local banks of about FF1.5 billion, to help with the reconstruction.

Meteorological history

On December 3, the Fiji Meteorological Service's Nadi tropical cyclone warning centre (TCWC Nadi), started to monitor a shallow tropical depression that had developed within a monsoon trough about 1250 km (775 mi) to the north of Rarotonga, in the Southern Cook Islands.^[1] Over the next two days, the system gradually developed further as it moved towards the southwest, before during December 5, the Naval Western Oceanography Center (NWOC) started to monitor the depression and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 07P after it had become equivalent to a tropical storm.^[1][2] Later that day, TCWC Nadi reported that the system had developed into a category one tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale and named it Wasa, while it was located about 250 km (160 mi) to the south-west of the Cook Islands Penhryn.^[1][3] During December 6, Wasa developed hurricane force winds in an area of low vertical wind shear as it performed a small clockwise loop before it started to move towards the southeast during December 8, as an equatorial westerly wind burst affected the system.^[1][4] Early on December 8, the NWOC reported that Wasa had peaked in intensity with 1-minute sustained windspeeds of 195 km/h (120 mph), which made it equivalent to a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.^[5] TCWC Nadi subsequently reported during the next day, that Wasa had become a Category 4 Severe tropical cyclone, as it reached its peak intensity with 10-minute sustained winds of 165 km/h (105 mph).^[3]

Over the next few days the system started to weaken as it passed through the French Polynesian Society Islands, and became the first major tropical cyclone to affect French Polynesia since 1983.^[1] During December 12, Wasa passed through the French Polynesian Austral Islands and passed directly over Tubuai, before TCWC Nadi reported that Wasa had weakened into a tropical depression later that day.^[1][6] The NWOC subsequently issued their final advisory on Wasa during December 13, as the system turned and started to move towards the northeast and warmer waters.^[5][2][6] Later that day TCWC Nadi reported that the system had become sufficiently organized for the system to classified as a category one tropical cyclone and renamed it Arthur as it was initially considered to be a separate tropical cyclone.^[1][6] Over the next 24 hours Arthur gradually intensified further as it passed about 80 mi (130 km) to the north-northwest of the atoll: Mururoa, with the automatic weather station there reporting sustained windspeeds of 70 km/h (45 mph).^[6] During December 14, TCWC Nadi reported that Wasa-Arthur had re-peaked with 10 - minute sustained windspeeds of 95 km/h (60 mph), which made it a category 2 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale.^[1][6] During the next day the system maintained its peak intensity as it moved through the uninhabited Acteon Group of islands and several other atolls, before as it turned eastwards the NPMOC decided to classify Arthur as Tropical Cyclone 08P, with peak 1-minute sustained windspeeds of 85 km/h (55 mph).^[1][6][2][7] During December 16, the system gradually weakened before both TCWC Nadi and the NWOC issued their final advisories on Wasa-Arthur during the next day, after it had degenerated into a shallow tropical depression.^[6] The remnant depression was last noted dissipating during December 18 to the north of the Pitcairn islands.^[1][3]

Preparations and impact

A visible image of Cyclone Wasa on December 14 as it re-intensified into Cyclone Arthur.

On December 9, ahead of Cyclone Wasa affecting French Polynesia, the High Commissioner Jean Montpezat declared a state of maximum alert which closed schools and banned navigation.^[8][9][10] On December 12, tourists on the island of Bora Bora were evacuated to a local church, after the system had swept high seas into tourist bungalows.^[11] Overall Cyclone Wasa-Arthur caused an estimated 7007600000000000000US$60 million in damage within the six Leeward Islands, the two Windward Islands of Tahiti and Moorea and several of the Austral Islands with the majority of the damage done between December 9 – 12.^[10] The system destroyed 367 homes, damaged 855 other homes, destroyed or damaged a variety of crops and damaged several public buildings, hotels, roads and power installations, with the worst affected islands were Bora Bora and Tubuai.^[1][10] On Rurutu island, Moerai harbour was destroyed by a cyclonic swell generated by the system, while the local school and police station were destroyed by high waves.^[12][13] A women and her child were killed while asleep after torrential rainfall from the system caused a mudslide on the island of Moorea, during a night of torrential rain the day after Wasa had made its closest approach to the island.^[1][10][14]

During the aftermath of the cyclone, a French Military cargo plane and several helicopters carried out initial relief efforts to several of the islands affected by Wasa, before the French Polynesian Government and private cargo ships continued the effort, by carrying emergency relief supplies and reconstruction materials.^[10] The French Government's Minister for Overseas France: Louis Le Pensec arrived in Tahiti on December 15, to inspect the damage and explore ways of rebuilding the island nation, after similar tours were conducted by the President of French Polynesia, Gaston Flosse and several of his cabinet ministers.^[10][15] During the emergency period, the French Government incurred costs of about 7007680000000000000FF68 million including 7007530000000000000FF53 million for the efforts of the French Military.^[16] The French Polynesian Government subsequently borrowed 7007550000000000000FF55 million from the Central Fund for Economic Cooperation and built up a fund from local banks of about 7009150000000000000FF1.5 billion, to help with the reconstruction of infrastructure and territorial buildings.^[16][17][18] The name Wasa was later retired, from the list of tropical cyclone names by the World Meteorological Organization.^[19]

See also

• Cyclone Martin
• Cyclone Oli

References

External links

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

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