The 1991–92 South Pacific cyclone season was an above average tropical cyclone season, with eleven tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. The first tropical cyclone of the season was first noted on November 13, 1991, while the last tropical cyclone dissipated on May 2, 1992. During the season at least 21 people were killed by tropical cyclones, while Tropical Cyclones Cliff and Innis were the only tropical cyclones not to cause any damage to any country in the Southern Pacific. During the season, tropical cyclones were monitored by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centers (TCWC) in

Nadi, Fiji Nadi (, ) is the second-largest city in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 59,707 at the most recent census, in 2017. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, Indi ...

, and in

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington is Capital of New Zealand, 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 List of cities in New Zealand, third-largest city ...

.The FMS, or RSMC Nadi, warns on systems in the South Pacific located from the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

to 25°S and from 160°E to 120°W. The New Zealand MetService, or TCWC Wellington, warns on systems from 25°S to 40°S and from 160°E to 120°W Whilst tropical cyclones that moved or formed to the west of 160°E were monitored as a part of the Australian region by the Australian

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Government of Australia, Australian Government that is responsible for providing Weather forecasting, weather forecasts and Meteorology, meteorological services to Australia a ...

. Both 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 ...

(JTWC) and the Naval Western Oceanography Center (NWOC) issued unofficial warnings within the southern Pacific. The JTWC issued warnings between 160°E and the

International Date Line The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180.0° line of longitude and de ...

whilst the NWOC issued warnings for tropical cyclones forming between the International Date Line and the coasts of the Americas. Both the JTWC and the NWOC designated tropical cyclones with a number and a P suffix with numbers assigned in order to tropical cyclones developing within the whole of the South Pacific. The FMS and MetService both use 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 classifications are used officially by the meteorologi ...

, and measure windspeeds over a period of ten minutes, while the JTWC and the NWOC measured sustained winds over a period of one minute which are compared to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Seasonal summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:215 PlotArea = top:10 bottom:80 right:20 left:20 Legend = columns:3 left:30 top:58 columnwidth:270 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/11/1991 till:01/06/1992 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/11/1991 Colors = id:canvas value:gray(0.88) id:GP value:red id:TDi value:rgb(0,0.52,0.84) legend:Tropical_Disturbance id:TD value:rgb(0.43,0.76,0.92) legend:Tropical_Depression id:C1 value:rgb(0.3,1,1) legend:Category_1_=_63-87_km/h_(39-54_mph) id:C2 value:rgb(0.75,1,0.75) legend:Category_2_=_88-142_km/h_(55-74_mph) id:C3 value:rgb(1,0.85,0.55) legend:Category_3_=_143-158-km/h_(75-98_mph) id:C4 value:rgb(1,0.45,0.54) legend:Category_4_=_159–204_km/h_(99–127_mph) id:C5 value:rgb(0.55,0.46,0.9) legend:Category_5_=_≥205_km/h_(≥128_mph) Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas BarData = barset:Hurricane bar:Month PlotData= barset:Hurricane width:10 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:12/11/1991 till:21/11/1991 color:C3 text:" Tia (C3)" from:04/12/1991 till:17/12/1991 color:C4 text:" Val (C4)" from:04/12/1991 till:18/12/1991 color:C4 text:" Wasa-Arthur (C4)" from:04/01/1992 till:15/01/1992 color:C4 text:"Betsy (C4)" from:16/01/1992 till:18/01/1992 color:TD text:"13P (TD)" from:05/02/1992 till:09/02/1992 color:C2 text:"Cliff (C2)" from:11/02/1992 till:19/02/1992 color:C3 text:"Daman (C3)" barset:break from:24/02/1992 till:07/03/1992 color:C4 text:" Esau (C4)" from:04/03/1992 till:11/03/1992 color:C5 text:" Fran (C5)" from:13/03/1992 till:16/03/1992 color:TD text:"Unnamed (TD)" from:15/03/1992 till:19/03/1992 color:C2 text:"Gene (C2)" from:23/03/1992 till:29/03/1992 color:C1 text:"Hettie (C1)" from:07/04/1992 till:08/04/1992 color:TD text:"Unnamed (TD)" from:27/04/1992 till:06/05/1992 color:C2 text:"Innis (C2)" barset:break bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/11/1991 till:01/12/1991 text:November from:01/12/1991 till:01/01/1992 text:December from:01/01/1992 till:01/02/1992 text:January from:01/02/1992 till:01/03/1992 text:February from:01/03/1992 till:01/04/1992 text:March from:01/04/1992 till:01/05/1992 text:April from:01/05/1992 till:01/06/1992 text:May TextData = pos:(569,23) text:"(For further details, please see" pos:(713,23) text:"

scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

During the season, a significant increase in the amount of tropical cyclones occurring within the South Pacific basin was observed, with eleven tropical cyclones occurring within the basin during the season compared to three during the previous season. This increase was attributed to a mature

El Niño EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

episode, that had started developing towards the end of the previous season. During the season the major areas of

tropical cyclogenesis Tropical cyclogenesis is the development and strengthening of a tropical cyclone in the atmosphere. The mechanisms through which tropics, tropical cyclogenesis occur are distinctly different from those through which temperate cyclogenesis occu ...

were shifted eastwards, from their mean position towards the more central parts of Pacific. The first tropical cyclone of the season was first noted as a tropical depression on November 13, before it was named Tia during November 16, after it had become 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 classifications are used officially by the meteorologi ...

. Over the next day the system rapidly intensified into a category 3 severe tropical cyclone and affected the Solomon Islands of Tikopia and Anuta while near its peak intensity. Tia subsequently started to weaken during November 19, as it became the first of six tropical cyclones to affect Vanuatu during the season. After Severe Tropical Cyclone's Val and Wasa-Arthur, the South Pacific Convergence Zone gradually moved back to its near-normal position between the

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands () are an archipelago covering in the central Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Political geography, Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Samoa, Indep ...

Southern Cook Islands The Cook Islands can be divided into two groups: the Southern Cook Islands and the Northern Cook Islands. The country is located in Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. From December through to M ...

and French Polynesia's

Austral Islands The Austral Islands ( officially ''Archipel des Australes;'' ) are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France, overseas country of the France, French Republic in the Oceania, South Pacific. Geographicall ...

. The names: Tia, Val, Wasa, Betsy, Esau and Fran were later retired from the tropical cyclone naming lists. On July 1, 1992, the

New Zealand Meteorological Service Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, or simply MetService (), is the national meteorological service of New Zealand. MetService was established as a State-owned enterprises of New Zealand, state-owned enterprise in 1992. It employs a ...

was split in two and became the

Meteorological Service of New Zealand Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, or simply MetService (), 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 headquarters are ...

and the

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintai ...

Systems

Severe Tropical Cyclone Tia

On November 13, the FMS started to monitor a tropical depression that 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 Po ...

, to the northeast of the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. Over the next few days, the system gradually developed further within an area of light winds in the upper troposphere, before the JTWC initiated advisories and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 03P early on November 15. During that day the system's upper-level outflow characteristics became more favourable for further development, before the FMS named the system Tia early the next day after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone. Later that day because of a developing northerly steering current, the system slowed down and undertook a small anticlockwise loop before starting to move towards the southwest and rapidly intensify. After rapidly intensifying throughout November 16 and 17, Tia passed within 55 km (35 mi) of Anuta Island at around 1800 UTC on November 17, before passing near Tikopia Island six hours later. As Tia moved near Tikopia, the FMS reported that the system had reached its peak intensity as a category 3 severe tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 140 km/h (85 mph). During November 18, Tia started to gradually weaken under the influence of cooler

sea surface temperature Sea surface temperature (or ocean surface temperature) is the ocean temperature, temperature of ocean water close to the surface. The exact meaning of ''surface'' varies in the literature and in practice. It is usually between and below the sea ...

s and strengthening vertical windshear, while it moved southwards under the influence of a strengthening upper level northerly wind flow. Over the next 24 hours, the system continued to move southwards and passed within of Vanuatu's Banks Islands, while gradually weakening further. Tia subsequently degenerated into a tropical depression during November 20, before it was last noted during the next day, as it crossed a part of its former track where it had been producing hurricane-force windspeeds a few days earlier. Apart from extensive damage on the Solomon Islands of Anuta and Tikopia which directly lay in Tia's path, the overall effect of the cyclone was minimal. More than 1000 people were left homeless on Tikopia, after 90% of all dwellings were completely destroyed while the remaining 10% had either walls destroyed or roofs blown off. The cyclone also destroyed seven of the eight church buildings and all but one of the classroom buildings belonging to the two primary schools while food crops were completely destroyed with all coconut trees either blown down or uprooted. High seas and waves caused extensive damage to the coasts and flooded low-lying areas, salinating food crops such as taro and destroyed the water supply system on the island. As a result, Tikopia was declared a disaster area by the Solomon Islands National Disaster Council. Sustained windspeeds of , wind gusts of and a minimum pressure of were all reported by the automatic weather station on Anuta. Within Vanuatu the damage was mainly confined to fruit trees within the Banks and Torres Island Groups, while minor damage was reported to some old houses on Ambae, Epi and Tongoa Islands. On the Bank island of Mota, one man was slightly injured by flying corrugated iron while a church building was flattened.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Wasa–Arthur

On December 3, the FMS started to monitor a shallow tropical depression was embedded within a

monsoon trough The monsoon trough is a convergence zone between the wind patterns of the southern and northern hemispheres. It is a portion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone in the Western Pacific,Bin WangThe Asian Monsoon.Retrieved 2008-05-03. and is dep ...

of low pressure over the

Northern Cook Islands The Northern Cook Islands is one of the two chains of atolls which make up the Cook Islands. Lying in a horizontal band between 9° and 13°30' south of the Equator, the chain consists of the atolls of Manihiki, Nassau, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Raka ...

. Over the next couple of days, the system gradually developed further as it moved south-westwards, before the NWOC and the FMS reported that the depression had developed into Tropical Cyclone Wasa during December 5. After it had been named, Wasa slowed down and made a small cyclonic loop as it continued to intensify and became a category 3 severe tropical cyclone during December 7. Early on December 8, the NWOC reported that Wasa had peaked with 1-minute sustained windspeeds of , which made it equivalent to a category 3 hurricane on the SSHWS. The next day, the FMS estimated peak 10-minute winds of 165 km/h (105 mph), making Wasa a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone. Over the next few days, the system weakened into a tropical depression after passing through the

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

and

. The NWOC issued their final advisory on Wasa on December 13, as the system turned northeastward to warmer waters. Later that day, Wasa became sufficiently organized to be reclassified as a category 1 tropical cyclone by the FMS, who renamed it Arthur. Over the next 24 hours, Arthur passed about north-northwest of

Mururoa Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll i ...

, which reported winds of . On December 14, the FMS reported that Wasa-Arthur had reached its secondary peak intensity of . The cyclone maintained this intensity while moving eastward through the uninhabited

Acteon Group The Acteon Group (Groupe Actéon) is a rather isolated and uninhabited subgroup in the far southeast of the Tuamotu atoll group in French Polynesia. It is located about east-southeast of Tahiti at latitude: 21° 17' 60 S, longitude: 136° 29' ...

of islands and other atolls. On December 15, the NWOC classified it as Tropical Cyclone 08P, with peak 1-minute winds of . On December 16, the system gradually weakened into a shallow depression, and both the FMS and the NWOC issued their final advisories on Wasa-Arthur. On December 9, ahead of Cyclone Wasa affecting French Polynesia, the High Commissioner Jean Montpezat declared a state of maximum alert which closed schools and banned navigation. On December 12, tourists on the island of Bora Bora were evacuated to a local church, after the system had swept high seas into tourist bungalows. Overall Cyclone Wasa-Arthur caused an estimated in damage within the six

Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands () are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with the Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico, they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In Engl ...

, the two

Windward Islands The Windward Islands are the southern, generally larger islands of the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean islands or the West Indies. Located approximately between latitudes 10° and 16° N and longitudes 60° and 62° W, they extend from D ...

of Tahiti and Moorea and several of the

with the majority of the damage done between December 9 – 12. The system destroyed 367 homes, damaged 855 other homes, destroyed or damaged a variety of crops and damaged several public buildings, hotels, roads and power installations, with the worst affected islands were

Bora Bora Bora Bora (French language, French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific. The Leeward Islands comprise the we ...

and

Tubuai Tupuai ( ) is the main island of the Austral Island group, located south of Tahiti. In addition to Tubuai, the group of islands include Rimatara, Rurutu, Raivavae, Rapa and the uninhabited Îles Maria. They are part of the Austral Islands ...

. On

Rurutu Rūrutu is the northernmost island in the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, and the name of a commune consisting solely of that island. It is situated south of Tahiti. Its land area is . A woman and her child were killed while asleep after torrential rainfall from the system caused a mudslide on the island of Moorea, during a night of torrential rain the day after Wasa had made its closest approach to the island.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Val

Early on December 4, the FMS started to monitor a small

tropical depression A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

, that had developed along the

Intertropical Convergence Zone The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ , or ICZ), known by sailors as the doldrums or the calms because of its monotonous windless weather, is the area where the northeast and the southeast trade winds converge. It encircles Earth near the t ...

just to the southeast of

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( ) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, about midway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands (which belong to the Solomon Islands), northeast of Van ...

. During that day the system moved towards the northeast and steadily developed further with the FMS naming it Val early the next day, after it had become a category 1 tropical cyclone on the

. During that day the NWOC designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 06P and started to issue advisories, while Val started to move towards the south-southeast after the upper level north-westerly steering winds had increased. Over the next two days the system gradually intensified as it moved south-eastwards towards Western Samoa before the FMS reported late on December 7, that Val had peaked as a category 4 severe tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained windspeeds of about 165 km/h (105 mph). The system subsequently made landfall later that day on the Western Samoan island of Savaii, before the NWOC reported that the cyclone had peaked with 1-minute sustained windspeeds of about 230 km/h (145 mph), which made it equivalent to a category 4 hurricane on the SSHS. After Val had passed over the island weakening upper-level winds and caused the system to slow down, before it started to move erratically and made a sharp clockwise loop which almost brought it over Savaii for a second time. The cyclone lasted for five days in American Samoa and was designated by the United States Government as a major disaster on December 13, 1991. Western Samoa suffered more damage than American Samoa. The cyclone devastated the islands with winds and waves. The overall damages caused by Cyclone Val in American Samoa have been variously assessed. One estimate put the damages at $50 million in American Samoa and $200 million in Western Samoa due to damage to electrical, water, and telephone connections and destruction of various government buildings, schools, and houses.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Betsy

Betsy developed on January 6 out of a tropical depression along the monsoon trough. Betsy reached storm intensity. The storm attained hurricane strength before the system hit central parts of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

. Betsy reached its peak intensity at around , with gusts to near its center. On January 11, the cyclone slowed down and curved south, moving out of the tropics on January 13. Betsy affected five countries. The northern and central regions of Vanuatu were hit the hardest from the cyclone. Five people were killed in

Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...

due to strong or gale force winds.

Tropical Cyclone Cliff

An area of low pressure developed within the monsoon convergence zone during February 4, to the north of the

Society Islands The Society Islands ( , officially ; ) are an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean that includes the major islands of Tahiti, Mo'orea, Moorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country ...

. Over the next couple of days, the system gradually consolidated as it moved eastwards and was subsequently named Cliff by the FMS, during February 6, after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Daman

On February 11, the FMS started to monitor a shallow tropical depression that had developed within the monsoon trough to the south of Tokelau. Over the next few days the system moved towards the west-southwest under the influence of an easterly steering flow, before the system started to accelerate and passed through the islands of Tuvalu during February 14.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Esau

On February 24, a shallow tropical depression developed within the monsoon trough of low pressure, about to the northeast of

Port Vila, Vanuatu Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital city, capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the Efate, island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 Vanuatu census, 2020 census. In 2020, the popula ...

. Over the next day the system moved south-westwards and gradually developed further, before it passed over northern

between February 25–27. During February 26, the JTWC and the FMS reported that the depression had developed into a tropical cyclone, with the latter naming it as Easu, while it was located to the east of

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...

in Vanuatu. Throughout that day as Esau intensified further, it moved south-westwards and away from the islands of Vanuatu. Esau subsequently accelerated westwards to the north of an intense subtropical ridge of high pressure and gradually intensified further as it moved into an area of decreasing vertical windshear. During February 28, the FMS subsequently reported that the system had peaked as a category 4 severe tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of . The system subsequently moved into the Australian region and brought gale-force winds to the Solomon Islands during February 29. The JTWC also reported that Esau had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of , which made it equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. Over the next few days the system moved south-eastwards and back into the South Pacific basin, under the influence of a northwest steering flow and threatened the southern islands of Vanuatu. The system subsequently came to within of southern Vanuatu before turning southwards and threatening the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. The system made landfall on the French territory of New Caledonia during March 4, as a category 3 severe tropical cyclone. As a result of passing over the mountainous island nation and increasing vertical wind shear, the system transitioned into an extratropical cyclone over the cooler waters of the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...

. The extratropical remnants of Cyclone Esau subsequently made landfall on New Zealand's

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

during March 8, before they were last noted during the next day over the South Pacific Ocean. The system caused minimal damage and one death as it affected the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and New Zealand. There was no damage reported in Vanuatu, despite the system being considered to be as powerful and potentially damaging as

Cyclone Uma In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an antic ...

. Within the Solomon Islands several banana, coconut and pawpaw trees were knocked down as the system produced gale-force winds on the islands, while various taro gardens and food crops were flooded and destroyed. Within the French territory of New Caledonia, extensive flooding was reported in the territory, while power and communications were knocked out over the island. A hail and a tornado were reported on March 8, as the system's remnants made landfall on New Zealand's North Island in the

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

and

Hawkes Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...

area.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Fran

The origins of Fran were from a low that was first identified by

meteorologists A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...

on 4 March. Fran slowly became organized and by 1800 UTC 5 March, the system had developed gale-force winds. Moving in a general west-southwest direction, Fran passed between the Wallis and Futuna Islands while attaining cyclone intensity. The storm began to rapidly intensify and soon crossed the

International Dateline The International Date Line (IDL) is the line extending between the South Pole, South and North Poles that is the boundary between one calendar day and the next. It passes through the Pacific Ocean, roughly following the 180th meridian, 180.0� ...

. Meanwhile, Fran developed hurricane-force winds. During the ensuing 24 hours, the cyclone tracked across waters to the north of

Fiji Fiji, 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 of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

and towards the central islands of

. Shortly before doing so, Fran peaked in intensity. After weakening slightly due to land interaction, the cyclone slowly re-intensified. Cyclone Fran passed north of

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

around 0000 UTC 10 March, only to turn towards the west and attained its secondary peak of . The cyclone had slowed by this stage and it subsequently assumed a somewhat erratic southwest track towards the coast. Over the subsequent next three days, Fran weakened as it became less organized. The cyclone finally crossed the Queensland coast near The Town of 1770 at 1700 UTC 15 March. Fran subsequently moved inland and weakened to a tropical depression before re-curving to the southeast and moving back over water. The remnants of Fran tracked over

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island ( , ; ) is an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head, New South Wales, Evans Head and a ...

before ultimately being merged by a trough north of New Zealand. On the Wallis Islands and the Futuna Islands, damage to trees, telephone and power lines were experienced. Meanwhile, several boats sunk and buildings lost roofs. Vanuatu felt the worst of the storms impact in the South Pacific. In

Erromango Erromango is the fourth largest island in the Vanuatu archipelago. With a land area of , it is the largest island in Tafea Province, the southernmost of Vanuatu's six administrative regions. Name The endonym for Erromango in Erromangan is ''Ne ...

, homes were destroyed, considerable crop damage occurred and a

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 ...

was reported. On

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

, over 130 houses lost their respective roofs. Considerable amounts of rainfall was also reported, peaking on Wallis Island with of rain. In preparation of the storm, officials closed beaches along the

Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

and Gold Coasts. In addition, train services from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

were cancelled. Across Queensland, coastal towns were flooded, uprooting trees and knocking out power. Several roofs were torn off of homes and some flooding was reported. Winds and flooding caused minor property damage, but considerable crop losses along were reported the coast, with the worst effects in

Bundaberg Bundaberg () is the major regional city in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of the state of Queensland, Australia. It is the List of cities in Australia by population, ninth largest city in the state. The Bundaberg central business district is situa ...

. A total of 40 houses were uproofed throughout Bundaberg. In

Burnett Heads Burnett Heads is a coastal town and locality in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Burnett Heads had a population of 2,908 people. Geography The locality of Burnett Heads is on the southern side of the Bur ...

, 3 yachts were damaged. Heavy swells caused damage on Heron Island and severe erosion on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Overall, 2,624 insurance claims were made because of property damage. Total damage from the system was 8–10 million (1992 AUD), while insurance losses were estimated at $2.5 million (1992 AUD).

Tropical Cyclone Gene

During March 13, a tropical depression developed within a broad area of low pressure, about to the northwest of

Mata-Utu Mata Utu (; , ) is the capital (political), capital city of Wallis and Futuna, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located on the island of Wallis Island, Uvéa (Uvea), in the district of Hahake District, Hahake, of which it is also the cap ...

in the island nation of

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (), is a French island territorial collectivity, collectivity in the Oceania, South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji to the southwest, Tonga t ...

. Over the next couple of days, the depression moved eastwards towards the northern Cook Islands, before a second circulation developed and consolidated within the broad area of low pressure during March 15. The second circulation was subsequently classified as Tropical Cyclone 26P by the NWOC later that day, before the FMS named it Gene during March 16, after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone.

Tropical Cyclone Hettie

During March 24, the FMS reported that a tropical depression had developed within the

and a favourable environment for further development, to the north of the

Tuamotu Islands The Tuamotu Archipelago or the Tuamotu Islands (, officially ) are a French Polynesian chain of just under 80 islands and atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean. They constitute the largest chain of atolls in the world, extending (from northwest to ...

in French Polynesia. During that day, the system gradually developed further with its convective cloud signature improving, as it moved slowly south-eastwards under the influence of a northerly environmental steering flow. During the following day, the NPMOC and the FMS reported that the depression had developed into a tropical cyclone, with the latter naming it as Hettie after gale-force wind speeds had wrapped around the system's centre. After being named, Hettie gradually intensified further as it moved south-eastwards and passed in between Tahiti,

Hereheretue Hereheretue or Hiri-oro is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is the northernmost island of the Duke of Gloucester Islands group, or Îles du Duc de Gloucester, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Hereheretue's nearest neighbour is A ...

and

Nukutepipi Nukutepipi, or Nuku-te-pipi is an atoll in French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Duke of Gloucester Islands, a subgroup of the Tuamotu group. Nukutepipi's nearest neighbor is Anuanurunga, which is located about 22 km to the WN ...

during March 26. During March 27, the FMS reported that the system had peaked with estimated 10-minute sustained windspeeds of , while it was located about to the southwest of Hereheretue. This was followed by the NPMOC later that day, who estimated that Hettie had peaked with 1-minute peak sustained windspeeds of 100 km/h (65 mph). After it had peaked in intensity, Hettie started to weaken and transition into an extratropical cyclone, under the influence of stronger vertical windshear and cooler sea surface temperatures. The system was subsequently declared an extratropical cyclone during March 29, before its remnants were absorbed by a frontal system. As Hettie moved through French Polynesia, it did not directly impact any island or atoll within the arhipeliagoatoll, however, the meteorological station on the atoll of Hereheretue reported sustained winds of , wind gusts of over and a northeasterly swell of about . There were no deaths associated with Hettie, while some minor damage to crops and property was reported in Hereheretue. During March 26, the French Polynesian authorities seized a boat of

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activists, after it had come to within of the French nuclear-test atoll:

. It was subsequently claimed that the ship was subsequently towed to the French atoll of

Fangataufa Fangataufa (or Fangatafoa) is an uninhabited coral atoll in the eastern part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. The atoll has been fully-owned by the French state since 1964. From 1966 to 1996 it was used as a nuclear test site by t ...

to ride out Hettie. However, this was disputed by

who claimed that the ship was held at Fangataufa to prevent them setting up a site on the atoll, in order to take samples of the radioactive pollution of the environment.

Tropical Cyclone Innis

On April 23, the FMS started to monitor a depression that had developed within the South Pacific Convergence Zone, between

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, an ...

and the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

and was slowly deepening under the influence of a strong upper-level ridge of high pressure. The system subsequently moved westwards and was over the western part of Tokelau by April 25, before it started to accelerate westwards under the influence of an intensifying anticyclone that was located near New Zealand. Over the next couple of days the depression moved westwards and passed over southern Tuvalu during April 27, before the system slowed down while it was located about to the east of the Solomon Island:

Anuta Anuta is a small volcanic island in the province of Temotu in the southeastern part of Solomon Islands. It is one of the smallest permanently inhabited Polynesian islands. It is one of the Polynesian Outlier communities in Melanesia. Geograp ...

. During April 28, the JTWC and FMS reported that the system had developed into a tropical cyclone, with the latter naming it as Innis. After it had been named Innis continued to intensify further and acquired a symmetrical cloud signature during March 29, before the JTWC reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute maximum sustained windspeeds of . Early the next day, the FMS reported that Innis had reached its peak 10-minute maximum sustained wind speeds of about which made it a category 2 tropical cyclone, while the system was located about to the east of Tikopia in the eastern Solomon Islands. As it peaked in intensity, an amplifying upper-level trough in the Coral Sea produced north-easterly to north-westerly upper-level winds in the vicinity of Innis, which caused the system to turn towards the south and then southeast. The trough of low pressure also increased vertical windshear over Innis, which meant that the system started to rapidly weaken during April 30, as it passed about to the east of

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

, Ambryn and Epi Islands. By early on May 1, Innis had lost its cloud structure and as a result, the FMS reported that it was no longer classifiable as a tropical cyclone and downgraded it to a depression. Despite some gale-force winds possibly occurring in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, there were no reports of any deaths or damage associated with Innis.

Other systems

On January 17, the NWOC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 13P, which had developed to the south of one of the Cook Islands, Manihiki. The system subsequently moved south-eastwards through the Cook Islands and peaked with 1-minute wind speeds of 65 km/h (40 mph) before it transitioned into an extra-tropical cyclone during the next day. During April 7, the FMS started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed about to the northeast of

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

. Over the next day the system moved south-eastwards and was absorbed into a frontal system during the next day.

Season effects

This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific basin during the 1991–92 season. It includes their intensity 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 classifications are used officially by the meteorologi ...

, duration, name, areas affected, deaths, and damages. For most storms the data is taken from RSMC Nadi's and or TCWC Wellington's archives, however, data for 13P has been taken from the JTWC/NPMOC archives as opposed to RSMC Nadi's or TCWC Wellington's, and thus the winds are over 1-minute as opposed to 10-minutes and compared to the SSHWS. The impacts listed for Severe Tropical Cyclone's Daman and Fran include the impacts, they caused to Australia while they were in the Australian region.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:1991-92 South Pacific cyclone season South Pacific cyclone seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines