Tropical Cyclone Ana was one of three tropical cyclones to impact the island nation of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
towards the end of January 2021. The fifth tropical disturbance, third tropical cyclone and second severe tropical cyclone of the
2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season
The 2020–21 South Pacific cyclone season was an average season where most tropical cyclones formed within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E. The season officially started on November 1, 2020, and officially ended on April 30, 2021, h ...
. Ana was first noted as Tropical Disturbance 05F during January 26, while it was located about to the northeast of
Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
in
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
. Over the next few days, the system moved eastwards and gradually developed further, before it was declared to be a tropical cyclone and named Ana during January 29. Over the next day, the system moved south-eastwards towards Fiji before it made landfall on the island of Viti Levu. After emerging into the Pacific Ocean, the system intensified into a
Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, before it rapidly degenerated into a subtropical low during February 1.
AON Benfield estimates Ana caused millions of dollars in damage across
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. Due to its onslaught, the name ''Ana'' was retired from the naming list and was replaced by ''Aru''.
Meteorological history
During January 26, the
Fiji Meteorological Service
The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) is a Department of the government of Fiji responsible for providing weather forecasts and is based on the grounds of Nadi Airport in Nadi. The current director of Fiji Meteorological Service is Misaeli Funaki. ...
(FMS) reported that Tropical Disturbance 05F had developed within the
South Pacific convergence zone
The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), a reverse-oriented monsoon trough, is a band of low-level convergence, cloudiness and precipitation extending from the Western Pacific Warm Pool at the maritime continent south-eastwards towards French Pol ...
about to the northeast of
Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
in
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
.
During that day, the system moved eastwards and developed into a tropical depression, within an area of low to moderate vertical
wind shear
Wind shear (or windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical or horizontal ...
.
Over the next couple of days, the system moved eastwards and gradually developed further, as
atmospheric convection
Atmospheric convection is the result of a parcel-environment instability, or temperature difference layer in the atmosphere. Different lapse rates within dry and moist air masses lead to instability. Mixing of air during the day which expands the ...
started to wrap into the systems low level circulation center. During January 29, the FMS reported that the depression had developed into a
Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale and named it Ana.
At this time, the system was located about to the northwest of Nadi in Fiji and had started to be steered south-southeastwards towards Fiji, by a ridge of high pressure to the northeast of the system.
The United States
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 ...
subsequently initiated advisories, on the newly named system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 15P.
During January 30, Ana continued to move south-southeastwards and passed through the northern
Yasawa Islands
The Yasawa Group is an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands in the Western Division of Fiji, with an approximate total area of .
Geography
The Yasawa volcanic group consists of six main islands and numerous smaller islets. The archip ...
into the
Bligh Water In 1789 the English Royal Navy Cutter the Bounty commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh was overtaken by 18 crew led by Master's Mate Fletcher Christian in what has been named the "Mutiny on the Bounty." The area known as the Bligh Water is the body ...
s, where it became slow-moving and intensified into a
category 2 tropical cyclone.
The system subsequently continued to develop with an
eye feature appearing on both radar and microwave imagery, before it made landfall on
Viti Levu
Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian P ...
near
Rakiraki
Rakiraki () is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is located between Tavua and Korovou when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.
At the 1996 census, the Rakiraki district had a population ...
at around 18:00 UTC (06:00 FST, January 31).
While located over Viti Levu, Ana moved south-southeastwards over the
Central Division, where it passed in between
Navua
Navua () is a town in Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast o ...
and Fiji's capital city:
Suva
Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
.
The JTWC subsequently reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph), which made it equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane on the
Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.
During January 31, Ana emerged into the Kadavu Passage and passed near or over
Kadavu, before the FMS reported that the system had peaked as a
Category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph).
During February 1, the system rapidly weakened into a subtropical low, as its low-level circulation center became exposed and moved south-eastwards into an area of high vertical wind shear.
Over the next few days, Ana moved south-eastwards over the South Pacific Ocean as a subtropical low, before it was last noted during February 3.
Preparations and impact
During January 27, the FMS issued a gale alert as well as a heavy rain warning for Vanua Levu, Taveuni, the Yasawa Group and Lau Islands, while strong wind warnings and a flash flood alert were already in force.
Later that day after Tropical Depression 06F had developed over Lau Province, these alerts and warnings were expanded to include a tropical cyclone alert for the whole of Fiji and a gale wind warning for Vanua Levu, Taveuni and the Lau Islands.
In
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
, the put a Tropical Cyclone Alert in effect for
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 .
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically ...
,
Yasawa
Yasawa, also called Assawa and Ysava, is the northernmost large island of the Yasawa Group, an archipelago in Fiji's Western Division. Located at 17.00° South and 177.23° East, it covers an area of . It has a maximum altitude of above sea l ...
, and
Mamanuca, as well as smaller nearby islands. A Strong Wind Warning was ordered for northern
Viti Levu
Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian P ...
, while a Gale Warning was put in place for Vanua Levu,
Taveuni
Taveuni (pronounced ) is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated to the east of ...
, and
Lau
Lau or LAU may refer to:
People
* Lau (surname)
* Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien
* Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab
* LAU (musician): Laura Fares
Places
* Lebane ...
. Meanwhile, Heavy Rain Warnings and Alerts were issued for portions of the country. With the threat of heavy rainfall, a Flood Warning was issued for low-lying areas and small streams along the
Qawa River, with Flash Flood Alerts for Vanua Levu and for Viti Levu from the towns of
Ba to
Rakiraki
Rakiraki () is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is located between Tavua and Korovou when travelling along the Kings Road, on the northern coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.
At the 1996 census, the Rakiraki district had a population ...
. All schools in Fiji were closed as a precaution on January 29, with teachers asked to help prepare classrooms as evacuation centers if needed. A nightly curfew was ordered between January 29–31. More than 2,000 residents evacuated to shelters across Fiji.
Heavy precipitation associated with the depression hit Fiji as early as January 28, causing flooding in Rakiraki. On January 29, the
Nadi River
This is a list of the rivers of Fiji.
They are listed by island in clockwise order, starting at the north end of each island. Tributaries are listed under the parent stream.
Gau
*Wailevu River (Gau)
Ovalau
*Lovoni River
Taveuni
*Somosomo C ...
overflowed its banks due to heavy rainfall, flooding parts of
Nadi
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 ...
. Footage from Ba showed severe flooding in parts of the town. Extensive damage following landfall was reported in the majority of
Viti Levu
Viti Levu (pronounced ) is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically complex area between the Australian P ...
, especially the capital
Suva
Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
which was directly hit, with 5 people (including a three-year-old boy) reportedly missing.
Rivers across Fiji quickly became overflown while landslides destroyed what remained of some homes.
Power outages became widespread across the nation and a 49-year-old man was confirmed dead from drowning in floodwaters. An additional 7,600 people were evacuated to evacuation centers during the storm in similar regions to which were devastated by Category 5
Cyclone Yasa
Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa was the second Category 5 severe tropical cyclone in 2020 after Harold in the 2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season. Yasa was the second tropical disturbance, as well as the first tropical cyclone and severe tr ...
a month prior. Schools were reopened on February 8 except for the
northern division which was scheduled to open a week later. In the aftermath, a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130 Hercules delivered emergency supplies to the district of Nadi. One million kits were delivered to assist affected families, including hygiene kits, mother and infant kits, water containers, water pumps, purification tablets and tarpaulins.
See also
*
Tropical cyclones in 2021
During 2021, tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, commonly known as tropical cyclone basins. Tropical cyclones will be assigned names by various weather agencies if they attain maximum sustained winds of . During the year, one ...
*
Cyclone Winston
Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record, as well as the strongest to make landfall on record, and the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2016. Winston is also the costl ...
*
Cyclone Yasa
Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa was the second Category 5 severe tropical cyclone in 2020 after Harold in the 2019–20 South Pacific cyclone season. Yasa was the second tropical disturbance, as well as the first tropical cyclone and severe tr ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ana
Category 3 South Pacific cyclones
Tropical cyclones in Fiji
Tropical cyclones in 2021
2021 in Fiji
2021 disasters in Fiji