HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2017–18 South Pacific cyclone season was a slightly below-average season that produced 6
tropical cyclone 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 ...
s, 3 of which became severe tropical cyclones. The season officially began on November 1, 2017, and ended on April 30, 2018; however, a tropical cyclone could have formed at any time between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, and would count towards the season total. During the season, tropical cyclones were officially monitored 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 ...
,
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 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 ...
, while 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) also monitored the basin and issued warnings for American interests. The FMS attaches a number and an F suffix to significant tropical disturbances that form in or move into the basin, while the JTWC designates significant tropical cyclones with a number and a P suffix. The BoM, FMS and MetService all 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 estimate wind speeds over a period of ten minutes, while the JTWC estimates sustained winds over a 1-minute period, which are subsequently compared to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS). __TOC__


Seasonal forecasts

Ahead of the cyclone season, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS),
Australian Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government that is responsible for providing weather forecasts and meteorological services to Australia and neighbouring countries. It was established in 1906 unde ...
(BoM), 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) and various other Pacific Meteorological services, all contributed towards the Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook that was released during October 2016. The outlook took into account the ENSO-neutral conditions that had been observed across the Pacific and analogue seasons that had ENSO-neutral and weak La Niña conditions occurring during the season. The outlook called for a near average number of tropical cyclones for the 2017–18 season, with eight to ten named tropical cyclones, to occur between 135°E and 120°W compared to an average of about 10. At least three of the tropical cyclones were expected to become Category 3 severe tropical cyclones, while two could become Category 4 severe tropical cyclones; they also noted that a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone was not likely to occur during the season. In addition to contributing towards the Island Climate Update outlook, the FMS and the BoM issued their own seasonal forecasts for the South Pacific region. The BoM issued two seasonal forecasts for the Southern Pacific Ocean, for their self-defined eastern and western regions of the South Pacific Ocean. They predicted that the Western region between 142.5°E and 165°E, had a 48% chance of seeing activity above its average of 7 tropical cyclones. The BoM also predicted that the Eastern Region between 165°E and 120°W, had a 55% chance of seeing activity above its average of 4 tropical cyclones. Within their outlook the FMS predicted that between four and six tropical cyclones, would occur within the basin compared to an average of around 7.1 cyclones. At least one of the tropical cyclones was expected to intensify into a Category 3 or higher severe tropical cyclone. They also predicted that the main area for tropical cyclogenesis would be within the Coral Sea, to the west of the International Date Line. Both the Island Climate Update and the FMS tropical cyclone outlooks assessed the risk of a tropical cyclone affecting a certain island or territory. The Island Climate Update Outlook predicted that New Caledonia, Tonga, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea had an above average chance of being impacted by a tropical cyclone or their remnants. They also predicted that the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu had a near normal to normal risk of being impacted by one or more tropical cyclones. The Southern
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
,
Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, as well as
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 ...
were thought to have a below average chance of being impacted. It was also considered unlikely that 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 ...
, French Polynesia,
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 ...
and the
Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...
would be affected by a tropical cyclone. The FMS's outlook predicted that Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji as well as
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 ...
had a normal chance of being impacted by a tropical cyclone. The outlook also predicted that the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands and French Polynesia had a reduced chance of being affected by a tropical cyclone. It was thought that there was a normal risk of Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa being impacted by at least one severe tropical cyclone, while other areas such as the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, Niue and French Polynesia, had a reduced chance of being impacted by a severe tropical cyclone.


Seasonal summary

ImageSize = width:800 height:210 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:01/12/2017 till:01/05/2018 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/12/2017 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:11 align:left fontsize:S shift:(4,-4) anchor:till from:16/12/2017 till:18/12/2017 color:TDi text:"02F (TDi)" from:17/12/2017 till:19/12/2017 color:TDi text:"03F (TDi)" from:20/12/2017 till:26/12/2017 color:TD text:"04F (TD)" from:26/01/2018 till:27/01/2018 color:TDi text:"05F (TDi)" from:28/01/2018 till:30/01/2018 color:C1 text:"Fehi (C1)" from:03/02/2018 till:19/02/2018 color:C5 text:" Gita (C5)" from:03/02/2018 till:11/02/2018 color:TD text:"08F (TD)" barset:break from:03/03/2018 till:11/03/2018 color:C4 text:" Hola (C4)" from:11/03/2018 till:13/03/2018 color:TD text:"Linda (TD)" from:20/03/2018 till:24/03/2018 color:C1 text:"Iris (C1)" from:29/03/2018 till:02/04/2018 color:C1 text:"Josie (C1)" from:05/04/2018 till:11/04/2018 color:C3 text:"Keni (C3)" from:17/04/2018 till:20/04/2018 color:TD text:"14F (TD)" bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/12/2017 till:01/01/2018 text:December from:01/01/2018 till:01/02/2018 text:January from:01/02/2018 till:01/03/2018 text:February from:01/03/2018 till:01/04/2018 text:March from:01/04/2018 till:01/05/2018 text:April 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 ...
)"


Systems


Tropical Depression 04F

This depression formed east of Fiji on December 20th, and tried to strengthen while drifting south-east. However, it encountered harsh wind shear which prevented any further development and sheared off all the circulation to the south-east quadrant. It dissipated on December 26th.


Tropical Disturbance 05F

Formed on January 26, dissipated the next day, 27th. It never strengthened due to the wind shear.


Tropical Cyclone Fehi

Fehi entered the South Pacific basin from the Australian Region on 28th as a subtropical cyclone. It continued its south-southeast track while transitioning to an extratropical cyclone as it approached New Zealand. As an extratropical cyclone, Fehi caused extensive damage in western New Zealand. Strong winds and heavy rain damaged hundreds of structures, with more than 100 later condemned. Waist-deep water flooded homes in Charleston and Westport. Pounding surf eroded beaches, exposing an old garbage dump at Cobden Beach which left thousands of garbage bags strewn about. Insurance loss were amounted at
NZ$ The New Zealand dollar (; currency sign, sign: $; ISO 4217, code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New Zeal ...
38.5 million (US$28.5 million).


Severe Tropical Cyclone Gita

On 3 February, 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) started to monitor Tropical Disturbance 07F, which had developed within a
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, about to the southeast 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 ...
. Over the next couple of days, the system moved erratically near northern Vanuatu and remained poorly organized, with
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
located to the south of the low-level circulation center. The system started to move south-eastwards on 5 February, towards the Fijian Islands and a favorable environment for further development. The system subsequently passed near the island nation during 8 February, where it developed into a tropical depression and started to move north-eastwards towards 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 ...
. On 9 February, 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) initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 09P, after an ASCAT image showed that it had winds of in its northern semicircle. The FMS subsequently named the system Tropical Cyclone Gita, after the United States
National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
Weather Forecast Office in
Pago Pago Pago Pago ( or ; Samoan language, Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County, American Samoa, Maoputasi County on Tutuila ...
requested that the system be named early for warning and humanitarian reasons. After Gita was named, a prolonged period of
rapid intensification Rapid intensification (RI) is any process wherein a tropical cyclone strengthens very dramatically in a short period of time. Tropical cyclone forecasting agencies utilize differing thresholds for designating rapid intensification events, th ...
ensued as it quickly intensified into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale, before it passed within of
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
and
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 ...
. After moving past the Samoan Islands, Gita turned southeast and then southwards. On 10 February, Gita rapidly intensified to a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale while traversing anomalously warm
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 of between . On 11 February, Gita continued to intensify into a category 4 severe tropical cyclone. At the same time, Gita turned westward under the influence of a subtropical ridge to the south. At approximately 10:00 
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
(23:00  TOT) on 11 February, the cyclone passed about south 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 ...
near its peak intensity, as a powerful Category 5 cyclone on the Australian Scale; the RSMC Nadi-based Australian scale and the JTWC-used
Saffir–Simpson scale The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) is a tropical cyclone intensity scale that classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical sto ...
, with maximum 10-minute sustained winds of . At the same time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center estimated peak 1-minute sustained winds at . This made Gita the strongest cyclone to strike
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
in its recorded history.


Tropical Depression 08F

This storm formed on February 3, 2018 to the east 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 ...
, Tropical Depression 08F followed an erratic track; however, it didn't strengthen enough to become a category 1 and it dissipated on February 11, 2018.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Hola

During March 3, 2018 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) reported that Tropical Disturbance 09F had developed within a trough of low pressure about to the northeast of
Nadi 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, India ...
, Fiji. At this time the disturbance had a broad low-level circulation and was located within a very favourable environment for further development, with low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures. Over the next couple of days, the disturbance gradually developed further as it gradually moved westwards towards
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 ...
, under the influence of a subtropical ridge of high pressure. It was subsequently classified as a tropical depression by the FMS during March 5, before 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) subsequently issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on the system later that day. During March 6, the JTWC initiated advisories on the system and designated it as Tropical Cyclone 12P, after its broad low-level circulation center had slowly consolidated and the overall organisation of the cyclone had improved. The FMS subsequently reported that the system 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 classifications are used officially by the meteorologi ...
and named it Hola while it was located about to the east of
Pentecost Island Pentecost is one of the 83 islands that make up the Oceania, South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. It lies due north of capital Port Vila. Pentecost is known as in French language, French and in Bislama. The island was known in its native lan ...
in Vanuatu. After it was named, Hola started developing a weak low level eye feature, before it was classified as a category 2 tropical cyclone as it passed in between the islands of Pentecost and
Ambrym Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit. Etymology Ambrym (also known as ''Ambrin'', ''"ham rim"'' in the Ranon language ...
. The system subsequently passed over the island of
Malekula Malakula, also spelled Malekula, is the second-largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, in Melanesia, a region of the Pacific Ocean. Location Malakula is separated from the islands of Espiritu Santo and Malo by the B ...
and moved into the
Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...
during March 7, where it rapidly consolidated and developed a pinhole eye. The FMS subsequently reported that Hola had become a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone and predicted that Hola would peak as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone. After peaking as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, wind shear rapidly weakened the system as it passed to the west 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 ...
as a Category 1 tropical cyclone. It continued to the southwest before transitioning to an subtropical storm as it approached New Zealand. It weakened and it degenerated to a remnant low to the northwest of the country.


Tropical Depression 10F (Linda)

On March 11, the FMS reported that Tropical Disturbance 10F, had developed about to the southwest of
Rennell and Bellona Province Rennell and Bellona is one of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands, comprising two inhabited raised coral atolls, Rennell Island, Rennell and Bellona Island, Bellona, or and respectively in Rennellese language, Rennellese (a Polynesian languages ...
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 ...
. The system was poorly organised with deep atmospheric convection, displaced to the east of the system's consolidating low-level circulation center. The disturbance was subsequently classified as Tropical Low 21U by the BoM during March 12, as it moved southwards within an area of low vertical wind shear and warm sea surface temperatures.


Tropical Cyclone Iris

During March 20, the FMS reported that Tropical Disturbance 11F had developed within an area of low to moderate vertical wind shear, over the eastern Solomon Islands around to the east 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 ...
. At this time the system was poorly organised with deep atmospheric convection, located to the east of the low-level circulation centre. Over the next few days, the system remained weak as it moved erratically around the Solomon Islands and was classified as a tropical depression during March 22.


Tropical Cyclone Josie

During March 29, 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 ...
reported that Tropical Disturbance 12F had developed about to the east of
Port Vila Port Vila ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province. The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...
in
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 ...
. At this stage, the system was poorly organised with
atmospheric convection Atmospheric convection is the vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere. It occurs when warmer, less dense air rises, while cooler, denser air sinks. This process is driven by parcel-environment instability, meaning that a "par ...
surrounding the system displaced to the northeast of the disturbance's weak low-level circulation. However, the disturbance was located to the south of a ridge of high pressure, and within a favourable environment for further development, with low to moderate levels of vertical
wind shear Wind shear (; also written windshear), sometimes referred to as wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and/or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere. Atmospheric wind shear is normally described as either vertical ...
and warm
sea surface temperatures 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 ...
of around . By 23:20
UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
that day, the system had strengthened into Tropical Depression 12F. Despite moderate shear, the system organized further into Tropical Cyclone Josie by March 31. Despite not making landfall, Cyclone Josie caused heavy rainfall and sustained gale-force winds in southern Fiji. Because of these effects, Josie caused upwards of in damages. Severe flooding occurred in the city of Nadi. Altogether, Josie left six people dead. Five people were washed away by floodwaters, of which four are confirmed dead and one is still missing.


Severe Tropical Cyclone Keni

Tropical Cyclone Keni impacted Fiji and caused the cast and crew of the 37th season of the American reality competition series, ''
Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
'', to be temporarily evacuated to the production's base camp.


Tropical Depression 14F

This is the ''11th'' named storm.


Other systems

During December 16, Tropical Disturbance 02F developed within a trough of low pressure, about to the northeast of the island of Futuna. During the following day, Tropical Disturbance 03F developed along the same trough of low pressure about to the southeast of the island of Wallis. Over the next couple of days, the disturbances moved southeastwards into areas of high vertical wind shear, before they were last noted during December 18 and 19 as they dissipated to the southeast of Samoa. On January 28, the JTWC issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on a tropical disturbance, which was located near the
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 ...
n island of
Rapa Iti Rapa, also called Rapa Iti, or "Little Rapa", to distinguish it from Easter Island, whose Polynesian name is Rapa Nui, is the largest and only inhabited island of the Bass Islands in French Polynesia. An older name for the island is Oparo. Th ...
. The system had a well defined low-level circulation, and was located within an area of warm sea surface temperatures and marginal vertical wind shear. The system subsequently peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of , which made it equivalent to a tropical storm. The alert was subsequently cancelled during the next day, after the system's low level circulation center became ragged, and atmospheric
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
was displaced to the east of the circulation center. On May 4, 2018, a system identified as a subtropical cyclone formed east of 120°W, near 80°W, just a few hundred miles off the coast of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, with researchers unofficially naming the storm ''Lexi''. The cyclone formed in an area without a
Regional Specialized Meteorological Center A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as ...
, so it was not officially classified. On May 9, the satellite services division of the NOAA classified the system as a weak subtropical storm, despite occurring in cooler (below 20 °C) sea surface temperatures.


Storm names

Within the Southern Pacific a tropical depression is judged to have reached tropical cyclone intensity should it reach winds of and it is evident that gales are occurring at least halfway around the center. Tropical depressions that intensify into a tropical cyclone between the Equator and 25°S and between 160°E and 120°W are named by the FMS. However, should a tropical depression intensify to the south of 25°S between 160°E and 120°W it will be named by MetService in conjunction with the FMS. If a tropical cyclone moves out of the basin and into the Australian region, it will retain its original name. The names ''Fehi'', ''Hola'', ''Josie'' and ''Keni'' would be used for the first time this year (and only, in the case of Keni), after replacing the names Frank, Hali, Jo, and Kim after the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons respectively. The names that were used for the 2017-18 season are listed below: If a tropical cyclone enters the South Pacific basin from the Australian region basin (west of 160°E), it will retain the name assigned to it by the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government that is responsible for providing weather forecasts and meteorological services to Australia and neighbouring countries. It was established in 1906 unde ...
. The following storms were named in this manner: * Linda Also of note, the name ''Lexi'' was assigned to the above mentioned storm, however it is not part of any defined naming list and thus is unofficial.


Retirement

After the season, the names ''Gita'', ''Josie'', and ''Keni'' were all retired, and replaced with ''Garth'', ''Jo'', and ''Kala'' respectively.


Season effects

This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific to the east of longitude 160°E during the 2017–18 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, and all of the damage figures are in 2017 USD. , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, New Zealand , , , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...
,
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
,
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 ...
, New Zealand , , , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, New Zealand , , Unknown , , , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , None , , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, , None , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga , , , , 6 , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga , , , , None , , , - , , , , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , , bgcolor=#, , ,
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 ...
, , Unknown , , Unknown , , , -


See also

*
Weather of 2017 The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2017. Summary by weather type Winter storms and cold waves Winter weather in 2017 kicked off January 4–8, 2017 North American winter storm, with a winter storm from January 4-8. Th ...
and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
*Tropical cyclones in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
and
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
*
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:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
* Pacific hurricane seasons:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
* Pacific typhoon seasons:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
* North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons:
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
* 2017–18 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season * 2017–18 Australian region cyclone season


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 South Pacific cyclone season South Pacific cyclone seasons 2017 SPAC 2018 SPAC