2002-03 South Pacific cyclone season

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2002-03 South Pacific cyclone season
Season summary map
Season summary map
First storm formed: December 5, 2002
Last storm dissipated: June 9, 2003
Strongest storm: Zoe - 890 hPa (mbar), 240 km/h (150 mph) (10-minute sustained)
Total depressions: 17
Tropical Cyclones: 10
Total fatalities: Unknown
Total damage: Unknown
South Pacific cyclone seasons
2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
Related articles 2002-03 Australian region cyclone season
2002-03 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season
Tropical cyclone scales

The 2002-03 South Pacific cyclone season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It began on November 1, 2002 and ended on April 30, 2003. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the southern Pacific Ocean east of 160°E. Additionally, the regional tropical cyclone operational plan defines a tropical cyclone year separately from a tropical cyclone season, and the "tropical cyclone year" runs from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003.[1]

Tropical cyclones between 160°E and 120°W and north of 25°S are monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service in Nadi. Those that move south of 25°S are monitored by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Wellington, New Zealand.[1]

Contents

[edit] Storms

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Yolande

Tropical Cyclone Yolande
Tropical Cyclone 04P		 TS
{{{image}}} Yolande 2002 track.png
Duration December 5 – December 5
Intensity 35 kt (10-min), 995 hPa[2]

Formed on November 29, dissipated on December 6.[3]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Zoe

Tropical Cyclone Zoe
Tropical Cyclone 06P		 5
Tropical Cyclone Zoe 2002.jpg Zoe 2002 track.png
Duration December 25 – January 1
Intensity 130 kt (10-min), 890 hPa[2]
Main article: Cyclone Zoe

A depression formed at the end of December. It quickly strengthened into one of the most intense tropical cyclones ever recorded with 10-minute average sustained winds of 130 knots. It eventually went extratropical.

Zoe caused catastrophic damage on several small islands in the south Pacific. Fortunately, no one was directly killed. Crops were heavily disrupted and took several years to recover. The name Zoe was later retired.

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Ami

Tropical Cyclone Ami
Tropical Cyclone 10P		 3
TC Ami 13 jan 2003 2200Z.jpg Ami 2003 track.png
Duration January 12 – January 15
Intensity 80 kt (10-min), 950 hPa[4]

[[Image:|right|thumb|Cyclone Ami on January 13.]] Formed on January 9, dissipated on January 15.[5]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Beni

Tropical Cyclone Beni
Tropical Cyclone 12P		 4
TC Beni 29 jan 2003 0315Z.jpg
Duration January 25 – January 31
Intensity 110 kt (10-min), 920 hPa[4]

Cyclone Beni formed over the Solomon Islands in late January 2003, damaging houses in the archipelago before moving in a south-easterly direction along a course between Vanuatu and New Caledonia. After passing New Caledonia, the cyclone was downgraded into a low-pressure system and moved westwards towards the Australian mainland. Beni reformed off Mackay, Queensland on February 5, crossing the coast as a weak Category 1 system south of that city the following day. The cyclone dumped heavy rain in Central Queensland, resulting in flash flooding which claimed the life of one person and resulted in a A$10 million disaster bill.

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Cilla

Tropical Cyclone Cilla
Tropical Cyclone 13P		 TS
TC Cilla 28 jan 2003 0055Z.jpg Cilla 2003 track.png
Duration January 25 – January 30
Intensity 40 kt (10-min), 990 hPa[4]

Formed on January 25, dissipated on January 30.[5]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Dovi

Tropical Cyclone Dovi
Tropical Cyclone 15P		 4
TC Dovi 09 feb 2003 0120Z.jpg Dovi 2003 track.png
Duration February 5 – February 11
Intensity 110 kt (10-min), 920 hPa[6]

Formed on February 5, dissipated on February 12.[7]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Erica

Tropical Cyclone Erica
Tropical Cyclone 22P		 4
CycloneErica2003.jpg Erica 2003 track.png
Duration March 4 – March 16
Intensity 115 kt (10-min), 915 hPa[8]

Formed on March 4, became extratropical on March 15, 2003. Erica formed near Australia, later hitting New Caledonia. [1]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Eseta

Tropical Cyclone Eseta
Tropical Cyclone 25P		 3
TC Eseta 13 mar 2003 0120Z.jpg Eseta 2003 track.png
Duration March 10 – March 14
Intensity 100 kt (10-min), 930 hPa[8]

A tropical depression formed on March 7, 2003 near Vanuatu. On March 9 the storm was named Eseta, the seventh named storm of the 2002/03 South Pacific cyclone season. Moving south-southeast and then nearly due east, Eseta bypassed the Fiji islands and strengthened into a category 3 cyclone before becoming extratropical near Rarotonga.

The storm caused flash flooding and moderate damage to banana crops in Tonga. There were no deaths.

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Fili

Tropical Cyclone Fili
Tropical Cyclone 27P		 TS
{{{image}}}
Duration April 14 – April 15
Intensity 50 kt (10-min), 987 hPa[9]

Formed on April 13, dissipated on April 15.[10]

[edit] Tropical Cyclone Gina

Tropical Cyclone Gina
Tropical Cyclone 29P		 2
TC Gina 06 jun 2003 2340Z.jpg Gina 2003 track.png
Duration June 5 – June 9
Intensity 80 kt (10-min), 950 hPa[11]

Formed on June 4, dissipated on June 9.[12]

[edit] Storm names

Non-frontal low pressure systems of synoptic scale developing over warm waters are named whenever surface observations and/or Dvorak intensity analysis indicates the presence of gale force or stronger winds near the centre. Unlike the Atlantic standard, an unnamed tropical system may have gales in one or more quadrants but not near the centre.[1]

Tropical cyclones forming between 160°E and 120°W are assigned names by the Fiji Meteorological Service. If a tropical cyclone forms in Wellington's area of responsibility, south of 25°S, the cyclone will still be given a name from the Fiji list.[13] No tropical cyclone has ever been observed in the South Pacific Ocean east of 120°W,[14] and if one forms in the future, it is unclear how it will be handled.

Names used in the South Pacific are used sequentially, unlike lists used in the Atlantic Ocean and east Pacific Ocean by the National Hurricane Centre. Only the names used during this cyclone season are listed below. The complete list of names are found in the World Meteorological Organization's official list.

  • Yolande
  • Zoe
  • Ami
  • Beni
  • Cilla
  • Dovi
  • Eseta
  • Fili
  • Gina

Note also that Cyclone Erica entered the region from the Coral Sea in the Australian basin.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/TCP/OperationPlans/TCP24-English2004.pdf
  2. ^ a b Gary Padgett (2003-01-17). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - December 2002. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  3. ^ Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary December 2002
  4. ^ a b c Gary Padgett (2003-02-12). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - January 2003. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  5. ^ a b Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary January 2003
  6. ^ Gary Padgett (2003-04-01). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - February 2003. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  7. ^ Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary February 2003
  8. ^ a b Gary Padgett (2003-04-01). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - March 2003. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  9. ^ Gary Padgett (2003-10-17). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - April 2003. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  10. ^ Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary April 2003
  11. ^ Gary Padgett (2003-10-17). Global Tropical Cyclone Tracks - June 2003. Typhoon2000.ph. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
  12. ^ Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary June 2003
  13. ^ Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary September 2006
  14. ^ JTWC Best Track Data

[edit] See also

Tropical cyclones Portal

[edit] External links