The 1981–82 South Pacific cyclone season was a slightly-below average

South Pacific tropical cyclone season 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. Within the Southern Hemisphere there ...

, with 6

tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dependi ...

occurring within the South Pacific Ocean basin between 160°E and 120°W during the season. After this season, the names Gyan and Isaac were

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

from the lists of names, after they caused significant impacts to South Pacific island nations. During the season, tropical cyclones were monitored by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centers in

Nadi, Fiji Nadi (pronounced ) is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had ...

Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

and

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

. During the season TCWC Nadi issued warnings and assigned names to any tropical cyclones that developed between the Equator and 25°S while TCWC Wellington issued warnings for any that were located to the south of 25°S. The

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

through the

Joint Typhoon Warning Center The Joint typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a joint United States Navy – United States Air Force command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The JTWC is responsible for the issuing of tropical cyclone warnings in the North-West Pacific Ocean, South P ...

(JTWC) and Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center (NPMOC), also monitored the basin and issued unofficial warnings for American interests. TCWC Nadi, Brisbane and Wellington measured sustained windspeeds over a 10-minute which are compared to the modern day

Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale Tropical cyclones are ranked on one of five tropical cyclone intensity scales, according to their maximum sustained winds and which tropical cyclone basins they are located in. Only a few scales of classifications are used officially by the mete ...

. The JTWC and the NPMOC measured sustained windspeeds over a 1-minute period which are compared to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS). __TOC__

Systems

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gyan

Severe Tropical Cyclone Gyan existed from December 18 to December 29.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hettie

Severe Tropical Cyclone Hettie existed from January 24 to February 1.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Abigail

Severe Tropical Cyclone Abigail existed from February 1 to February 7.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Isaac

The tropical cyclone developed 160 km/100 mi northeast of western Samoa and travelled southwest at 12 knots, moving through the Ha'apai island group and only 50 km/30 mi northwest of Tongatapu. The pressure at Tongatapu fell to . Winds of 92 knots were measured at Nuku'alofa,Dirk H.R. Spennemann, Conservation management and mitigation of the impact of tropical cyclones
/ref> and rainfall of was measured there. Isaac reached maximum intensity on March 2. The

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

was the worst storm in Tonga's history, devastating the island group. The island groups of Ha'apai and Vava'u were hit worst. Six were killed, while 45,000 became homeless and 95% of the livestock was killed. The island of Tatafa was bisected by a wide channel caused by Isaac's storm surge.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Bernie

Severe Tropical Cyclone Bernie existed from April 1 to April 9. Bernie caused extensive damage to natural vegetation and food gardens on the islands of Western Gudalcanal, Santa Isabel, New Georgia and the Russell Islands. Over 1000 people also had to evacuated from villages on the eastern coast of Gudalcanal.

Tropical Cyclone Claudia

Tropical Cyclone Claudia existed from May 13 to May 18.

Other systems

Between February 4 - 5, a developing tropical cyclone existed to the west of the Samoan Islands and caused flooding, as well as widespread wind damage within American Samoa. Significant damage was also reported in Western Samoa.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981-82 South Pacific cyclone season South Pacific cyclone seasons Tropical cyclones in 1981