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Subtropical Cyclone Katie, unofficially named by researchers, was an unusual weather event in early 2015. After the 2014–15 South Pacific cyclone season had officially ended, a rare
subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical cyclone, tropical and an extratropical cyclone. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as Tropical cyclo ...
was identified outside of the basin near
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
, during early May, and was unofficially dubbed ''Katie'' by researchers. Katie was one of the few tropical or subtropical systems ever observed forming in the far Southeast Pacific, outside of the official basin boundary of 120°W, which marks the eastern edge of RSMC Nadi's and RSMC Wellington's warning areas, during the satellite era. Due to the fact that this storm developed outside of the official areas of responsibility of the warning agencies in the South Pacific, the storm was not officially included as a part of the 2014–15 South Pacific cyclone season. However, the Chilean Navy Weather Service issued High Seas Warnings on the system as an extratropical low.


Meteorological history

On April 29, 2015, near the end of the 2014–15 South Pacific cyclone season, an extratropical disturbance developed in the far Southeastern Pacific, before transitioning into a subtropical depression soon afterward. The storm transitioned into a subtropical depression at 102.9°W, well to the east of the South Pacific basin's eastern boundary of 120°W. Around this time, the Chilean Navy Weather Service began including the storm in their High Seas Warnings, continuing this until May 4. During the next couple of days, the system drifted to the southwest, before turning to the southeast. On May 1, the storm intensified into a subtropical cyclone of tropical storm intensity, and looped westward. During this time, the system encountered
sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (SST), or ocean surface temperature, is the ocean temperature close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air mass ...
s about above average and low
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 ...
, due to an extremely strong El Niño event, allowing the storm to organize further. On May 2, the storm reached its peak intensity, with maximum sustained winds of ,All wind speeds in the article are
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. Unl ...
s sustained for one minute, unless otherwise noted. and a minimum low pressure of . Around this time, the storm was identified by researchers and unofficially named ''Katie''. During the next day, Katie slowly tracked westward while gradually weakening. On May 4, Katie weakened into a subtropical depression and began accelerating to the northwest, passing to the east of
Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
, before weakening further into a
remnant low A post-tropical cyclone is a former tropical cyclone that no longer possesses enough tropical qualities to be considered a tropical cyclone. The word may refer to a former tropical cyclone undergoing extratropical transition or a tropical cyclone ...
. With this degeneration, the Chilean Navy Weather Service ceased issuing warnings on the storm. On May 6, Katie's remnant low dissipated. During Katie's entire existence, the storm remained east of 120°W, outside of the South Pacific basin's official boundary.


Records

Subtropical Cyclone Katie is unofficially the second-easternmost tropical or subtropical cyclone ever observed to form in the South Pacific Ocean, transitioning into a subtropical system near 102.9°W. This broke the previous record of around 110°W, set by a
tropical depression 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 ...
in May 1983. "Katie" was also the first tropical or subtropical system to form east of the South Pacific basin's official eastern boundary of 120°W since another tropical depression in May 1983. However, in May 2018, Katie's record was broken by Subtropical Cyclone Lexi, which formed just a few hundred miles off the coast of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, near 80°W. Tropical cyclogenesis is extremely rare in the far southeastern
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, due to the cold sea-surface temperatures generated by the
Humboldt Current The Humboldt Current, also called the Peru Current, is a cold, low- salinity ocean current that flows north along the western coast of South America.Montecino, Vivian, and Carina B. Lange. "The Humboldt Current System: Ecosystem components and pr ...
, lack of tropical disturbance formation, and also due to unfavorable
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 ...
; as such, there are no records of a tropical cyclone impacting western
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
.
Tropical cyclone formation Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tropi ...
in this extreme part of the Southeast Pacific is so rare that no warning agencies have yet been assigned to the region east of 120°W. Subtropical Cyclone Katie formed during an extremely strong El Niño event; the abnormally-warm waters above average and low
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 ...
across the region may have contributed to the system's rare formation. Although Katie's observed characteristics were consistent with that of a subtropical cyclone, detailed analysis revealed that the storm may have briefly transitioned into a tropical cyclone, around the time of its peak intensity.


Notes


See also

* Other storms of the same name * Subtropical Cyclone Lexi * Subtropical Cyclone Humberto * 2006 Central Pacific cyclone *
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Cyclone Ianos Cyclone Ianos, also known as Medicane Ianos, was a rare Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone (Medicane) that impacted the eastern Mediterranean basin, Mediterranean on 17 and 18 September 2020, especially Greece. Ianos developed from an low-pressu ...
* 1996 Lake Huron cyclone *
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South Atlantic tropical cyclone South Atlantic tropical cyclones are unusual weather events that occur in the Southern Hemisphere. Strong wind shear, which disrupts the formation of cyclones, as well as a lack of weather disturbances favorable for development in the South Atl ...
*
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– Saw a tropical depression developing east of 120°W *
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*
Tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropical cyclogenesis occurs are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occurs. Tropi ...
*
El Niño–Southern Oscillation El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is an irregular periodic variation in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting the climate of much of the tropics and subtropics. The warming phase of the sea te ...


References


External links


Unofficial track data from Australia Severe WeatherTROPICAL CYCLONE OPERATIONAL PLAN FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND SOUTH-EAST INDIAN OCEAN: 2014 Edition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katie 2014–15 South Pacific cyclone season April 2015 events in South America May 2015 events in South America April 2015 events in Oceania May 2015 events in Oceania 2015 in Chile Subtropical cyclones Subtropical storms Cyclones in South America
Katie Katie is an English feminine name. It is a form Katherine, Kate, Caitlin, Kathleen, Katey and their related forms. It is frequently used on its own. People Sports *Katie Boulter (born 1996), British tennis player *Katie Clark (born 1994), Briti ...