Cyclone Ofa
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Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa was a powerful
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 ...
that caused severe damage in
Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
in February of 1990. The system was first noted on January 27, 1990, near Tuvalu, as a shallow tropical depression that had developed within the South Pacific Convergence Zone. The cloud pattern slowly organized, and on January 31, while located east of Tuvalu, Ofa attained cyclone intensity. Moving slowly southeast, Ofa developed storm-force winds. It attained hurricane-force winds on February 2. Cyclone Ofa reached peak intensity on February 4. Shortly after, its peak Ofa began to weaken over a less favourable environment. Ofa was declared an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
on February 8, though the system was still tracked by
meteorologists A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
until February 10. Ofa produced gales or high winds or gales on many islands, resulting in widespread damage due to a combination of
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
and high seas. In all, eight people were killed and damage totaled to . The worst effects were recorded in
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
, where seven people were killed. Roughly 200 people were evacuated, and 10 to 20 others were injured through the islands. Extreme damage to crops and trees was also recorded. Elsewhere, Ofa was blamed for the lowest ever recorded pressure on the island of
Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
, along with considerable damage.


Meteorological history

Towards the end of January 1990, a surge in the Northern Hemisphere's
trade wind The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...
s and the Southern Hemispheres monsoon, led to 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 ...
(SPCZ) and the Australian monsoon trough becoming active after a prolonged period of dormancy. As a result, two shallow tropical depressions were spawned; one over the Coral Sea that went on to become Cyclone Nancy, while the other was first noted within the SPCZ over
Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...
on January 27. Over the next two days the system developed little and remained slow moving, near the Tuvaluan atoll of
Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of la ...
. During January 30, the depression moved towards the north-east and started to organize, as pressures near the systems center rapidly falling. During the next day the system subsequently started to curve south-eastwards and away from Tuvalu, before the United States Naval Western Oceanography Center (NWOC) initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 13P during January 31. At 19:17 UTC on January 31,
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. ...
named the system Ofa, after it had developed into a category 1 tropical cyclone on the
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 ...
. As it was named the system was located about to the east of Tuvalu and had started to curve more towards the south-southeast. During February 1, as Ofa started to affect Western Samoa, the NWOC reported that Ofa had become equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). The FMS subsequently reported during the next day that the system had become a category 3 severe tropical cyclone. Ofa passed about to the west of the Western Samoan Island of Savai'i between 10:00 and 18:00 UTC during February 3. Early the next day as the system started to accelerate towards the south-southeast towards the island nation of
Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...
, the NWOC estimated that Ofa had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of 215 km/h (130 mph), which made it equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the SSHWS. Later that day the FMS estimated that the system had peaked as a category 4 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Early on February 5, Ofa started to show signs that it had started to weaken, as it passed about to the west of Niue. Over the next day the system slowly weakened as it moved southwards, before late on February 6, the FMS passed the primary warning responsibility for Ofa to the
New Zealand Meteorological Service Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (MetService - Te Ratonga Tirorangi) is the national meteorological service of New Zealand. MetService was established as a state-owned enterprise in 1992. It employs about 300 staff, and its headqua ...
, after the system had moved below 25°S. The system subsequently weakened very quickly and started to transition into an
extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
, as it encountered strong
upper level winds Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...
and cooler waters. The system completed this transition during February 8, before the remnants were last noted during February 10 after they had performed a small clockwise loop.


Effects

Cyclone Ofa was considered to be the worst tropical cyclone to affect Polynesia since Severe Tropical Cyclone Bebe in 1972. The system affected seven different island nations and caused gales or much stronger winds in six of those countries, which resulted in damage ranging from moderate to very severe. Storm tide from the cyclone which is the combined effect of storm surge and high tide caused havoc in several countries and was the major cause of destruction. Overall the system killed at least eight people while it was estimated that the overall damage would amount to over with damage totals of at least and in Western and American Samoa.


Tuvalu

The island nation of Tuvalu was affected by Severe Tropical Cyclone Ofa during February 1, with strong to gale-force winds causing a major impact on the island nation, along with the Samoa depression that affected the islands a few days later. The majority of the islands reported damage to vegetation and crops, such as bananas, coconuts and breadfruits. Staff housing and a chapel on a government secondary school campus were up-roofed and collapsed, while a supermarket building collapsed as a result of heavy swells. On Vaitupu Island around 85% of residential homes, trees and food crops were destroyed, while residential homes were also destroyed on the islands of Niutao, Nui and Nukulaelae. On
Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of la ...
sea waves flattened the Hurricane Bebe bank at the southern end of the airstrip, which caused sea flooding and prompted the evacuation of several families from their homes. In Nui and Niulakita there was a minor loss of the landscape because of sea flooding while there were no lives lost. After the systems had impacted Tuvalu, a Disaster Rehabilitation Sub-Committee was appointed to evaluate the damage caused and make recommendations to the National Disaster Committee and to the Cabinet on what should be done to help rehabilitate the affected areas. Emergency food aid and other humanitarian relief assistance was received from donors and the Red Cross. The total cost of reconstruction in the island nation was estimated to have exceeded .


Wallis and Futuna

During January 31, after Ofa's precursor depression had remained near the edge of its area of responsibility for a few days, the Wallis and Futuna Meteorological Service decided to inform local authorities about the system and their expectations for it to develop further. During the next day, after the system had been named Ofa, the FMS issued a tropical cyclone alert, before a yellow alert was triggered as the system was expected to intensify further and impact both islands. During February 2, the FMS issued a gale warning for Wallis while maintaining the alert for Futuna, as it was expected to pass near enough to Wallis to cause gale-force winds on the island. After the system continued to move southwards and had become a severe tropical cyclone it triggered the declaration of a red alert as well as the Organization of the Civil Security Response plan for the whole of the territory. It was subsequently decided to put the satellite telecommunication antenna into its survival position, which as a result meant that Wallis and Futuna were cut off from the international telecommunication network. The system subsequently passed about to the east of the island and produced gale-force winds on the island for a brief period during that day. Despite numerous objections residents were evacuated from the east coast of Wallis, as high seas, heavy swell and a storm surge of about above the astronomical tide caused flooding on the east coast of Wallis. Minor damages to trees, houses, plantations of yams and taros, government buildings and village roads was reported, while no there were no deaths or casualties reported on Wallis.


Tokelau

A gale warning was issued by the FMS for the whole of Tokelau during February 2, as Ofa started to affect the island with heavy rain, high seas and strong to gale-force winds. Ofa caused extensive damage to the islands public buildings, after sea walls around the atolls of
Nukunonu Nukunonu is the largest atoll within Tokelau, a dependency of New Zealand, in the south Pacific Ocean. It comprises 30 islets surrounding a central lagoon, with about of land area and a lagoon surface area of . Motuhaga is the only islet that ...
,
Atafu Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. With a land area of , it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and su ...
and
Fakaofo Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean atoll located in the Tokelau Group. The actual land area is only about 3 km2 (1.1 sq mi), consisting of islets on a coral reef surrounding a central lagoon of some 45 k ...
were washed away by high seas. Around 80% of the breadfruit and coconut trees were destroyed or damaged by the winds, while an inundation of water associated with Ofa was responsible for washing away or contaminating topsoil. The whole population of Swains Island was made homeless, after their homes suffered extensive damage. The island also suffered from a complete loss of agricultural crops including bananas, pawpaws, breadfruits and taro. No deaths or serious injuries were reported within the island nation. About a week after the system had affected Tokelau, the Royal New Zealand Air Force delivered urgently needed supplies via airdrop, before further assistance from New Zealand arrived by sea.


Western Samoa

Cyclone Ofa affected
Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...
between February 1–4, with heavy rain, huge waves,
sea spray Sea spray are aerosol particles formed from the ocean, mostly by ejection into Earth's atmosphere by bursting bubbles at the air-sea interface. Sea spray contains both organic matter and inorganic salts that form sea salt aerosol (SSA). SSA ha ...
,
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
and wind gusts exceeding . This created an impact on the island nation that had not been encountered in over 100 years, while the entire population was left in a state of shock. Ahead of Ofa affecting Western Samoa, the FMS issued various gale and storm force wind warnings for Samoa, however, due to communication and various other problems some of these warnings did not reach the Apia Observatory. Some of the warnings that did get through were distorted and contained strong wind warnings, rather than storm force wind warnings. As a result, it was not known what was broadcast to the public who were warned to expect strong winds rather than storm force winds and thus the FMS was left with no doubt, that the correct precautionary measures were not taken. During February 2, (February 1, Samoa Standard Time (SST)) the meteorological stations at the Apia Observatory and the
Faleolo Airport Faleolo International Airport is an airport located west of Apia, the capital of Samoa. Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737. Services to the United States, Australia, or New Zealand, could only land at Pago P ...
started to report gale-force winds. During that day rain became heavy and widespread, before as the winds picked up most communications with the island nation were lost. At the height of the storm the only means of communication with Western Samoa, was through a
Polynesian Airlines Samoa Airways, formerly Polynesian Airlines, is the state-owned flag carrier airline of Samoa. The airline was founded in 1959 as "Polynesian Airlines", providing domestic and international flights throughout the South Pacific. International op ...
Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...
aircraft that was standing at Faleolo Airport. The Apia meteorological office was hit by high sea waves at 21:45 UTC (10:45 SST) and had to be abandoned due to rising floods before being completely destroyed a few hours later.


American Samoa

Despite passing about to the west of Pago Pago, Cyclone Ofa affected American Samoa between February 3–5 with wind gusts of up to , which caused widespread and extensive damage to the territory. Ahead of the cyclone affecting the island nation, a gale warning was issued by TCWC Nadi for the American territory, while forecasting that very heavy rain, high seas and damaging sea swells would impact the area. On February 4, within the immediate aftermath of the cyclone, the
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Galea'i Peni Poumele Galea'i Peni Poumele (December 18, 1926 – July 27, 1992) was a Republican American Samoan politician and traditional leader. Poumele served as the fourth lieutenant governor of American Samoa from 1989 to 1992. He was the first Chairman of th ...
placed the whole of American Samoa under a state of emergency. Upon his return from an international conference the
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Peter Tali Coleman Peter Tali Coleman (December 8, 1919 – April 28, 1997) was an American Samoan politician and lawyer. Coleman was the first and only person of Samoan descent to be appointed Governor of American Samoa between 1956 and 1961, and later became ...
subsequently wrote to the United States President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
on February 7, asking him to declare the islands a federal disaster area and asked for money to help the American territory rebuild and recover from the Cyclone. The President subsequently declared the islands a major disaster area on December 9, which enabled Samoans to claim federal aid.


Tonga

During February 2, TCWC Nadi issued a gale warning for Niuafo'ou and
Niuatoputapu Niuatoputapu is a high island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its highest point is , and its area is . Its name means ''sacred island''. Older European names for the island are Traitors Island or Keppel Island. Niuatoputapu is ...
islands, while issuing the rest of Tonga with tropical cyclone alerts and a strong wind warnings. During February 3, as the system moved towards Tonga, TCWC Nadi predicted that it would pass about to the east of Niuatoputapu, at about 1100 UTC February 4, (0000 
UTC+13 UTC+13:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +13:00. Because it does not contain any land in the Northern Hemisphere, this time zone is exclusive to the Southern Hemisphere. As standard time (year-round) ''Principal cities: Apia, ...
, February 5). As a result, TCWC Nadi issued a hurricane warning for Niuatoputapu and gale warnings for the rest of the Tonga. Ofa subsequently moved more towards the southeast than expected and passed about to the east of Niuatoputapu. As a result, the Haapai and
Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...
island groups did not receive any gale-force winds from the system, while Niuatoputapu only experienced storm force winds from the system. Severe damage to houses, church buildings, coconut plantations, food crops and other vegetation, was reported on the islands of
Tafahi Tafahi is a small () island in the north of the Tonga archipelago, in fact closer to Savaii (Samoa) than to the main islands of Tonga. It is only north-northeast away from Niuatoputapu, and fishermen commute in small outboard motorboats almost d ...
and Niuatoputapu. Over 70% of the housing in Niuatoputapu was completely destroyed, while the roofs of the remaining 30% were partially or completely damaged. On Niuafo'ou a moderate amount of damage was reported, but was generally confined to crops and vegetation. One death was attributed to Ofa on Niuafo'ou, while overall the system caused about in damage to Tonga.


Niue

Early on February 4, the island nation of Niue was placed under a gale warning, as gale-force winds or stronger were forecast to occur over the island nation during the next day. A hurricane warning was subsequently issued later that day, after the system had accelerated towards the south-southeast and started to affect Niue. As winds on the island picked up the Telecommunications Center shut down its operations, while the satellite dish on the island was taken down.
Radio New Zealand Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...
subsequently broadcast Special Weather Bulletins for Niue on air, after being requested to by the FMS and the NZMS. The island was affected by hurricane-force winds for several hours during February 5, as Ofa's eye passed about to west of the island. At around 03:00 UTC Niue recorded what was its lowest ever recorded pressure of . Very high seas which reportedly were several meters high, swept over the islands northern and western coasts, with virtually all of the landings to the sea washed away or badly damaged. Considerable damage was recorded to the islands hospital, hotel, roads, houses, churches and other facilities for public use. Due to the damage to the power lines, electricity was out for about 24 hours. Most of the islands private water supply tanks were contaminated by saltwater and declared unsuitable for drinking. There were lives lost or significant injuries reported, while the total loss on the island from the cyclone was estimated at around . Within the aftermath of the cyclone the Royal New Zealand Air Force flights brought in emergency medical supplies, generators, water and fuel pumps, and food to Niue while a New Zealand navy vessel, the Endeavour, delivered additional foodstuffs, as well as building and plumbing materials, two weeks after the storm.


Notes


See also

*
1889 Apia cyclone The 1889 Apia cyclone was a tropical cyclone in the South Pacific Ocean, which swept across Apia, Samoa on March 15, 1889, during the Samoan crisis. The effect on shipping in the harbour was devastating, largely because of what has been described ...
*
Cyclone Val Severe Tropical Cyclone Val was considered to be the worst tropical cyclone to affect the Samoan Islands since the 1889 Apia cyclone. The system that was to become Severe Tropical Cyclone Val was first identified during the opening days of Decem ...
*
Cyclone Heta Severe Tropical Cyclone Heta was a Category 5 tropical cyclone that caused moderate damage to the islands of Tonga, Niue, and American Samoa during late December 2003 and early January 2004. Heta formed on December 25, 2003; it reached a maximum ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ofa 1989–90 South Pacific cyclone season Tropical cyclones in American Samoa Tropical cyclones in Niue Tropical cyclones in Samoa Tropical cyclones in Tokelau Tropical cyclones in Tonga Tropical cyclones in Tuvalu Tropical cyclones in Wallis and Futuna Category 4 South Pacific cyclones Retired South Pacific cyclones 1990 in American Samoa 1990 in Niue 1990 in Samoa 1990 in Tokelau 1990 in Tonga 1990 in Tuvalu 1990 in Wallis and Futuna