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The 2008–09 South Pacific cyclone season was a below average tropical cyclone season, which featured six named tropical cyclones compared to an average of about nine. Ahead of the season officially starting on November 1, 2008, the Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook predicted that the season, would feature an average risk of tropical cyclones impacting the South Pacific between 160°E and 120°W. The first tropical disturbance of the season developed to the northeast of the Samoan Islands on December 1, however, it remained weak and was last noted during the next day.


Seasonal forecasts

Ahead of the cyclone season formally starting on November 1, 2008, New Zealand's
MetService 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
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 ...
(NIWA), 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 Funak ...
(FMS), as well as various other Pacific Meteorological services, all contributed towards the Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook that was released during September 2008. The outlook took into account the ENSO neutral conditions that had been observed across the Pacific, as well as analogue seasons that had a similar climate background. The outlook noted that on average eight to ten tropical cyclones occur between 135°E and 120°W during seasons, with neutral ENSO conditions. It was also predicted that there was a normal risk of tropical cyclones occurring over most of the Pacific and that the first named tropical cyclone would occur before the end of December. The outlook also assessed the risk of a tropical cyclone affecting a certain island nation or territory and noted that several tropical cyclones, usually occurred in the region between Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. Most areas including Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Niue and Tuvalu, were thought to have an average risk of being impacted by one or more tropical cyclones. 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 ...
and 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 ...
were thought to have reduced risk, while it was thought unlikely that Pitcairn Island, Kiribati and the Marquesas would be impacted by a tropical cyclone. During January 2009, a revised Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook was issued, which stated that La Niña conditions had redeveloped in the tropical Pacific and were expected to persist. As a result, they noted that on average six or seven tropical cyclones, could be expected to develop over the Pacific Ocean, during a season characterised by a weak
La Niña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
. They also noted that the risk of a tropical cyclone impacting a certain island nation or territory had changed with an increased risk for areas to the west of 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 ...
. In particular, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Zealand, New Caledonia now had an increased risk, while Fiji had a variable risk of being affected by one or more tropical cyclones. The Northern Cook Islands, Tonga, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, Samoa and Tokelau were thought to have a reduced risk of being impacted, while other areas such as the Southern Cook Islands, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea had an average risk of being affected by a tropical cyclone.


Season summary

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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 total of fifteen significant tropical disturbances were monitored and numbered by 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 Funak ...
(FMS), within the South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. Off these tropical disturbances, six became named tropical cyclones, while none developed into
severe tropical cyclone 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 meteorologica ...
s for the first time since the 1994–95 season. The first tropical disturbance of the season developed on December 1, while the final system Tropical Disturbance 15F was last noted in the basin during April 10. Notable systems include Tropical Depression 04F, which caused
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 ...
's second worst natural disaster at the time. Tropical Depression 08F, which intensified into Cyclone Hettie, was the first tropical cyclone to form during the season. Tropical Depression 10F brought heavy rains to Vanuatu and before making landfall on New Caledonia intensified into Tropical Cyclone Innis. After it made landfall, Innis became the first Tropical Depression to move into TCWC Brisbane's Area of responsibility since
Cyclone Larry Severe Tropical Cyclone Larry was a tropical cyclone that made landfall in Australia during the 2005–06 Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone season. Larry originated as a low pressure system over the eastern Coral Sea on 16 March 2006, and ...
. Cyclones Joni and Ken both threatened the Southern Cook Islands however they only delivered minimal impacts. Cyclone Jasper then moved into the region early on March 24 at peak intensity, having developed inside TCWC Brisbane's area of responsibility two days earlier. The final named storm to develop during the season was Tropical Cyclone Lin, near the Lau Group of Fiji and Tonga.


Systems


Tropical Depression 02F

Early on December 3, RSMC Nadi reported that a Tropical Disturbance had formed near the Southern Cook Islands and was located in a moderately sheared environment and was moving towards the southeast. Deep Convection had been present around a well-defined cyclonic circulation for the previous 24 hours. Over the next day the disturbance gradually developed with RSMC Nadi upgrading it to a Tropical Depression later that day whilst it was moving between Niue and the Southern Cook Islands. Over the next couple of days the depression gradually weakened with convection which was located in the southern and eastern quadrants became sheared and the low level circulation centre became exposed as it moved into an area 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. Late on December 6 RSMC Nadi issued their final advisory on the depression as it moved into TCWC Wellingtons area of responsibility and was expected to become a mid latitude low-pressure system within 12 hours.


Tropical Depression 04F

On January 4, the FMS reported that Tropical Depression 04F had developed within a low to moderate area of vertical windshear, about to the northeast of Port Vila in Vanuatu. At this stage the system's low to mid-level circulation centre was poorly organised and exposed while atmospheric convection was displaced to the north of the system. Over the next couple of days the depression moved towards the southeast, before on January 8 as it started to bring heavy rainfall to Fiji. RSMC Nadi then issued their final advisory on it later that day, as it was now an extratropical depression. However, late the next day RSMC Nadi started to reissue advisories on the depression and immediately passed primary warning responsibility for it to the Tropical Cyclone Warning Center in Wellington, who issued warnings on the depression until early on January 12 when they issued their last advisory. Floods and mudslides caused by the depression killed at least eleven people in Fiji. Several towns and rural areas on
Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ; ) is the largest island in Fiji. It is the site of the country's capital and largest city, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a plate tectonics, tectonically complex area betwe ...
were flooded.


Tropical Depression 05F

On January 11, RSMC Nadi reported that a tropical depression had formed to the south 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 ...
and was just inside TCWC Brisbane's area of responsibility, and started issuing Tropical Disturbance Summaries on it. As the depression moved into RSMC Nadi's area of responsibility it was designated as 05F. Nadi reported at this time that whilst the depression had a low to moderate chance of forming into a tropical cyclone within 48 hours, there was an upper
trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...
of low pressure that could provide an opportunity for the depression to either rapidly or explosively develop. Despite fair conditions, it dissipated without ever becoming a cyclone.


Tropical Depression 06F

Late on January 19, RSMC Nadi reported that a tropical disturbance had formed in a monsoonal trough of low pressure about 940 km to the north west of
Papeete Papeete (Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Papeʻetē'', pronounced ; old name: ''Vaiʻetē''Personal communication with Michael Koch in ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the France, French Republic in the Pacific ...
, in
French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...
. Convection was confined to the northeast of the low level circulation and was disorganised. Late the next day whilst the disturbance was moving to the east and into an area of higher vertical wind shear, RSMC Nadi upgraded the disturbance to a tropical depression despite its low level circulation centre being exposed and lying to the west of the deep convection. During the next morning as it interacted with another disturbance to the northwest the depression reached its peak wind speeds of Over the next couple of days th depression moved towards the south before late on January 23 RSMC Nadi issued their final advisory on the depression as it was expected to become a hybrid system within 24 hours.


Tropical Depression 07F

On January 23, RSMC Nadi reported that a Tropical Depression had formed, to the southwest of
American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
. Later that day as the Depression moved towards the east they downgraded the Depression to a Tropical Disturbance as the Low Level Circulation Center was exposed and located in an environment of moderate to strong vertical wind shear. During the morning of January 24 the Tropical Disturbance was reupgraded to a Tropical Depression and assigned the Tropical Depression the designation of 07F. Later that day the tropical depression reached its peak wind speeds of . Early the next day RSMC Nadi released their final Tropical Disturbance Summary as the Tropical Depression had lost all tropical characteristics.


Tropical Cyclone Hettie

On January 24, RSMC Nadi reported that Tropical Disturbance 08F had developed within the monsoon trough and an area of minimal vertical windshear to the north of the Fijian dependency
Rotuma Rotuma () is a self-governing heptarchy, generally designated a Local government in Fiji, dependency of Fiji. Rotuma commonly refers to the Rotuma Island, the only permanently inhabited and by far the largest of all the islands in the Rotuma Gro ...
. During the next day the disturbance moved towards the southeast and developed into a tropical depression while it was located near Rotuma. Over the next 3 days, the depression continued to move south-eastwards between Fiji and Tonga while intensifying slowly against stronger vertical windshear. before RSMC Nadi and the JTWC reported that the depression had developed into a tropical cyclone during January 28. Cyclone Hettie did not directly affect any inhabited land areas.


Tropical Depression 09F

On February 1, RSMC Nadi reported that Tropical Depression 09F had developed within the monsoon trough 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 ...
. Late on February 1, a Tropical disturbance formed about to the west of Vanuatu and was embedded in a monsoonal trough. It quickly organized itself and thus later that day, it was upgraded to Tropical Depression 09F. At this time the Low Level Circulation Center was exposed as strong vertical wind shear and deep convection was displaced to the north of Low Level Circulation Center. The next morning the JTWC reported that deep convection, was located over the western boundary, of the depression's low level circulation center. Strong shear also still existed over the system, with deep convection still being displaced to the north of the system. The next morning RSMC Nadi reported that the Low Level Circulation Center was obscured with indications of good inflow bands flowing into the depression from the north and west. Early on February 5, RSMC Nadi issued its final advisory on the depression, as the systems low level circulation centre had become sheared and exposed.


Tropical Cyclone Innis

On February 13, the FMS reported that Tropical Depression 10F had developed within an active convergence zone, about halfway between Fiji and Vanuatu. Over the next two days, the system gradually developed further as it moved westwards, before it passed over Vanuatu during February 15, with hostile environmental conditions influencing the depression's chance of becoming a tropical cyclone. As 10F left Vanuatu, the system turned towards the southwest and started to move towards New Caledonia, as outflow over the depression developed, while atmospheric convection started to wrap around the centre. During February 16, as the system approached New Caledonia, the FMS issued their final advisory as future prospects of the system becoming a tropical cyclone, were being undermined by increasing vertical windshear and land interaction. However, during the next day, the FMS resumed issuing advisories on the depression after it had crossed New Caledonia and moved into an area of low vertical windshear. Later that day after the system had become a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian Scale, the FMS named it Innis, while the JTWC initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 15P. After a brief period of further development, both the JTWC and the FMS reported that Innis had peaked with sustained windspeeds of , before vertical windshear over the system increased as an upper-level low encroached on Innis from the west. Later that day the primary responsibility for warnings was passed to MetService, as the system moved below 25°S and into their area of responsibility. Innis was subsequently declared an extratropical cyclone early on February 18, as it briefly moved into the Australian region and MetService issued their first warning. The system was subsequently absorbed by a low that was moving between Australia and New Zealand, and had caused flooding within the Australian state of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. There was no significant damage reported within New Caledonia, after Innis had affected the island and dropped over of rainfall. During February 19–20, the low containing Innis remnants brought high winds, heavy rain and some minor flooding to several parts off New Zealand including from Auckland to Stewart Island. The heaviest rain was recorded in Taranaki, Canterbury and Otago, while 1 indirect death was reported after a car rolled over near Opotiki.


Tropical Cyclone Joni

On March 10, the FMS reported that Tropical Depression 11F had developed out of an area of low pressure that had spun down from the upper levels of the
troposphere The troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere of Earth. It contains 80% of the total mass of the Atmosphere, planetary atmosphere and 99% of the total mass of water vapor and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From the ...
, about to the northeast of
Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...
in the
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 ...
. During the next day, shear decreased sufficiently to allow significant overall development. On the evening of the 11th, with the system moving into minimal shear, and outflow aloft becoming well-established, its probability of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next 12 hours was raised to high. At 111200 UTC, it was named Joni with 35 knots close to the centre and whilst located about 40 nautical miles west-northwest of Mangaia and about 70 miles east-southeast of Rarotonga. With favourable conditions, the cyclone continued to intensify and attained storm intensity 18 hours later. Joni reached peak intensity as it neared 25 South latitude, the Nadi and Wellington border. Wellington accepted primary responsibility for further warnings beginning at 130000 UTC as the cyclone moved into their area of responsibility. Joni remained a cyclone for another day before it was downgraded to a low. As Joni was a small and compact system only minimal impact was reported in the Southern Cook Islands while some heavy rainfall was reported in Mangaia.


Tropical Cyclone Ken

Early on March 16, a tropical disturbance formed to the south of a
convergence zone A convergence zone in meteorology is a region in the atmosphere where two prevailing flows meet and interact, usually resulting in distinctive weather conditions. This causes a mass accumulation that eventually leads to a vertical movement a ...
which was located to the east of
Palmerston Island Palmerston Island is a coral atoll in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean about northwest of Rarotonga. James Cook landed there on 16 June 1774. Overview Palmerston Island is one of a number of sandy islets on a continuous ring of coral ree ...
, in 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 ...
. Early that afternoon the JTWC reported that the disturbances low level circulation centre had rapidly consolidated and issued a
Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert A Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) is a bulletin released by the U.S. Navy-operated Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii or the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Virginia, warning of the possibility of a tropical cyclone formi ...
on the developing system. Later that day, RSMC Nadi reported that the disturbance had organised enough to be classified as Tropical Depression 12F. Early the next morning, as the depression was moving towards the southeast, RSMC Nadi reported that
outflow Outflow may refer to: *Capital outflow, the capital leaving a particular economy *Bipolar outflow, in astronomy, two continuous flows of gas from the poles of a star * Outflow (hydrology), the discharge of a lake or other reservoir system *Outflow ...
was good to the south of the depression and upgraded it to a Category 1 Cyclone, assigning the name Ken to the cyclone. Later that day, the JTWC started to issue advisories on the storm and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 21P. Late on March 18, RSMC Nadi reported that Ken had reached its peak intensity with winds of , which made it a Category 2 Cyclone. RSMC Nadi then passed primary warning responsibility of Cyclone Ken to TCWC Wellington who, downgraded Ken to a Category 1 Cyclone early the next day. Ken then re-intensified into a Category 2 Cyclone later that day; however it was quickly downgraded to a Category 1 Cyclone within their next advisory and then was declared
extratropical 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 p ...
by both TCWC Wellington and the JTWC early on March 20. As an extratropical cyclone, Ken reached 1-minute windspeeds of . TCWC Wellington then issued their final advisory early on March 22, as it moved out of their eastern area of responsibility and was tracked by the
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 ...
for three more days as it crossed the
Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...
into the
Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha C ...
.


Tropical Cyclone Jasper

During March 24, Cyclone Jasper moved into the South Pacific from the Australian region, while it at its peak intensity as a category 2 tropical cyclone with 10-minute sustained windspeeds of . At this time, convection erupted about the centre and well-corroborated by the corresponding microwave data which showed good and intense low-level circulation. Outflow over the system was good to the south but inhibited elsewhere. However, overnight, convection warmed considerably with shear tearing the cold tops to the south of the low-level centre. Later on the 25th, increasing shear and dry air entrainment caused its demise and was subsequently downgraded to a depression at 251200 UTC. Flooding, triggered by heavy rains in northern New Caledonia, forced the evacuation of 25 families. Rough seas produced by the storm caused
beach erosion Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward r ...
along the coastlines of New Caledonia. High winds caused localized structural damage and knocked down a few power lines, leaving some residents without power.


Tropical Cyclone Lin

During April 1, the FMS reported that Tropical Disturbance 14F had developed within a monsoon trough to the north of Fiji. During the following day, the system moved south-eastwards and developed into a tropical depression, while a shallow tropical disturbance developed within the monsoon trough to the south of Futuna. 14F subsequently absorbed this shallow tropical disturbance, as it struggled to consolidate and organise to the north of Fiji, under the influence of vertical wind shear. During April 3, the FMS reported that 14F had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone and named it Lin. The JTWC subsequently initiated advisories on Lin and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 25P, while it was located about to the northwest of Nuku'alofa. This was after atmospheric convection had developed over the systems low-level circulation centre and rapidly consolidated within favourable conditions. During April 4, Lin intensified further within favourable conditions and was classified as a Category 2 tropical cyclone, as it moved southeastwards towards the Tongan island of
Tongatapu Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa, 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% o ...
. During the next day, after Lin had passed directly over Tongatapu, the FMS reported that the system had peaked with estimated 10-minute sustained wind speeds of , while the JTWC estimated 1-minute sustained wind speeds of . During that day the cyclone weakened and started to transition into an extratropical cyclone, as it interacted with drier air and vertical wind shear surrounding the system increased. This prompted the JTWC to issue their final warning on the system, before MetService declared it extratropical, as they took over the primary warning responsibility of Lin from the FMS. MetService continued to track Lin's extratropical remnants for a couple of days, before they were last noted near 35°S 163°W during April 8. There was no major damage reported within Fiji from Lin, while it brought storm-force winds, heavy rain and flooding to parts of Tonga. Within Tonga, there were no reports of any casualties or structural damage, however, it did cause some damage to root crops, fruit bearing trees, gardens and power lines. The Tonga Meteorological Service also sustained some damage to their guttering, as well as various pieces of meteorological equipment which was valued about T$ 2,000 (US$1000).


Other systems

On December 1, the FMS reported that the first tropical disturbance of the season, had developed to the northeast of the Samoan Islands in an area of moderate vertical wind shear. The system subsequently moved westwards, before it was last noted during the next day. Tropical Disturbance 02F subsequently developed during December 3, to the northeast of Rarotonga in the Southern Cook Islands. Over the next couple of days the system moved towards the south-west, between Niue and the Southern Cook Islands and was classified as a tropical depression during December 4. The system was last noted during December 6, as it moved into TCWC Wellington's area of responsibility and transitioned into a mid latitude low-pressure system within 12 hours. During December 10, the FMS reported that Tropical Disturbance 03F had developed about to the northeast of
Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...
in 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 ...
. However, the system had no definite low level circulation center, while atmospheric convection surrounding the system was confined to the north quadrant of the disturbance. As a result, the system was last noted during the next day, with the FMS speculating that a cyclonic circulation to the northwest of 03F might have absorbed the disturbance. Tropical Disturbance 15F was first noted within a monsoon trough by the FMS on April 7, while it was thought to be located to the northeast of the Solomon Islands. Atmospheric convection surrounding the disturbance was poorly organised, while it was reported to be hard to find the system's low-level circulation. Over the next few days, the system moved south-westwards and remained poorly organised, before it was last noted by the FMS during April 10.


Season effects

This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific to the east of longitude 160°E during the 2008–2009 season. It includes their intensity on the Australian Tropical cyclone intensity scale, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages. All data is taken from RSMC Nadi and or TCWC Wellington. The damage figures are all 2009 USD. , - , 01F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 02F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Southern Cook Islands , , None , , None , , , - , 03F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 04F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , rowspan=2, Vanuatu, Fiji , , rowspan=2, , , rowspan=2, 12 , , rowspan=2, , - , 05F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , - , 06F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 07F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , Hettie , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , 09F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , New Caledonia , , Unknown , , Unknown , , , - , Innis , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Vanuatu, New Caledonia , , Minimal , , 1 , , , - , Joni , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Cook Islands , , Minor , , Unknown , , , - , Ken , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , , , Unknown , , None , , , - , Jasper , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , New Caledonia , , Minimal , , None , , , - , Lin , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Fiji, Tonga , , , , None , , , - , 15F , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , -


See also

*
List of Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone seasons The tropical cyclone seasons that occur in the Southern Hemisphere are: *South-West Indian Ocean tropical cyclone **Current – South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season *Australian region tropical cyclone **Current – Australian region cyclon ...
* Atlantic hurricane seasons:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
* Pacific hurricane seasons:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
* Pacific typhoon seasons:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 South Pacific Cyclone Season South Pacific cyclone seasons Articles which contain graphical timelines 2008 Spac 2009 Spac