1986–87 South Pacific cyclone season

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:01/11/1986 till:01/07/1987 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMinor = grid:black unit:month increment:1 start:01/11/1986

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:20/11/1986 till:25/11/1986 color:C2 text:"Osea (C2)" from:12/12/1986 till:22/12/1986 color:C2 text:"Patsy (C2)" from:21/12/1986 till:05/01/1987 color:C3 text:"Raja (C3)" from:26/12/1986 till:06/01/1987 color:C3 text:"Sally (C3)" from:13/01/1987 till:25/01/1987 color:C3 text:"Tusi (C3)" from:02/02/1987 till:05/02/1987 color:TD text:"13P (TD)" from:04/02/1987 till:10/02/1987 color:C4 text:"Uma (C4)" barset:break from:07/02/1987 till:09/02/1987 color:C1 text:"Veli (C1)" from:27/02/1987 till:07/03/1987 color:C3 text:"Wini (C3)" from:28/02/1987 till:03/03/1987 color:C2 text:"19P (C2)" from:05/03/1987 till:11/03/1987 color:C3 text:"Yali (C3)" from:19/04/1987 till:26/04/1987 color:C2 text:"Zuman (C2)" from:20/05/1987 till:22/05/1987 color:C1 text:"Blanche (C1)"

bar:Month width:5 align:center fontsize:S shift:(0,-20) anchor:middle color:canvas from:01/11/1986 till:01/12/1986 text:November from:01/12/1986 till:01/01/1987 text:December from:01/01/1987 till:01/02/1987 text:January from:01/02/1987 till:01/03/1987 text:February from:01/03/1987 till:01/04/1987 text:March from:01/04/1987 till:01/05/1987 text:April from:01/05/1987 till:01/06/1987 text:May from:01/06/1987 till:01/07/1987 text:June

TextData = pos:(569,23) text:"(For further details, please see" pos:(713,23) text:"scales)"

During the season twelve tropical cyclones were recorded within the South Pacific basin, which was considered above average when compared to an 18-year average of 10 systems.

Systems

Tropical Cyclone Osea

| 10-min winds = 55 | 1-min winds = 65

Tropical Cyclone Osea formed about 350 mi to the north-northeast of Port Vila on 21 November. It moved on a southerly track parallel to Vanuatu and spent most of its time over the sea. No significant damage was reported.

Tropical Cyclone Patsy

| 10-min winds = 55 | 1-min winds = 55

On December 12, TCWC Nadi started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed about 1000 km to the north-northwest of Suva, Fiji.

The system affected Northern Vanuatu but caused little or no damage to the island nation.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Raja

| 10-min winds = 80 | 1-min winds = 90 Main article: Cyclone Raja

Cyclone Raja existed from December 21, 1986, to January 5, 1987.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Sally

| 10-min winds = 80 | 1-min winds = 65 Cyclone Sally existed from December 26, 1986, to January 6, 1987. It caused A$35 million of damage in the Cook Islands, making a thousand people homeless on Rarotonga and severely damaging 80% of the buildings in Avarua.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Tusi

| 10-min winds = 80 | 1-min winds = 100 Main article: Cyclone Tusi

On January 13, TCWC Nadi started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed, within a trough of low pressure near the island nation of Tuvalu. Over the next few days the system gradually developed further before it was named Tusi during January 16, after it had become equivalent to a modern-day category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. After being named the system gradually intensified as it moved southeastwards along the trough, between the islands of Fakaofo and Swains during January 17. Tusi's eye subsequently passed near or over American Samoa's Manu'a Islands early the next day, as the system peaked in intensity with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 150 km/h. The system subsequently posed a threat to the Southern Cook Islands, however this threat gradually diminished as Tusi moved southwards and approached 25S on January 20.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Uma

| 10-min winds = 90 | 1-min winds = 100

Cyclone Uma caused severe damages in Vanuatu. The storm formed on February 4 and dissipated on February 10.

Tropical Cyclone Veli

| 10-min winds = 45 | 1-min winds = 45

The precursor tropical low to Cyclone Veli formed within the Australian region on February 5, about 725 km to the south-east of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. During the next day the low moved eastwards and gradually developed further, before it became equivalent to a category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale, as it reached its 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 45 kn. As the system continued to move eastwards it crossed 160°E and moved into the South Pacific basin during February 7, before the FMS named it Veli later that day on the basis of satellite derived evidence. During that day the system continued to move eastwards, before as it passed near to Espiritu Santo, Veli started to move steadily towards the south-east. Early the next day the JTWC initiated advisories and started to monitor Veli as Tropical Cyclone 16P, with peak 1-minute sustained windspeeds of 45 km/h. During that day strong upper level north-westerlies caused vertical windshear to increase over Cyclones Veli and Uma and thus weakened them. During February 9, Cyclone Veli absorbed Uma and formed a complex low, which moved slowly south-eastwards and became extratropical. Damage within Vanuatu was either minimal or went unreported, as the island nation was more concerned with the aftermath of Cyclone Uma.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Wini

| 10-min winds = 70 | 1-min winds = 65 Cyclone Wini existed from February 27 to March 7.

Tropical Cyclone Unnamed/19P

| 10-min winds = 50 | 1-min winds = 40

Severe Tropical Cyclone Yali

| 10-min winds = 65 | 1-min winds = 65

A shallow tropical depression developed within a monsoon trough of low pressure on March 5, about 485 km to the southeast of Honiara, on the Solomon Island of Guadalcanal. Over the next 3 days the system remained as a shallow depression as it moved southwards, before it rapidly developed into a tropical cyclone underneath an upper-level ridge of high pressure. During March 8, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Cyclone 22P and initiated advisories on the system, while it was named Yali by the FMS after it had developed into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian scale. During the next day Yali continued to intensify before as the ridge of high pressure moved northwards, before the system peaked with 1 and 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 65 kn. This made it equivalent to a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale and a category 1 hurricane on the SSHWS. Yali rapidly weakened and dissipated over water during March 11. Despite being within the vicinity of both Vanuatu and New Caledonia, the system did not pass close enough to affect or cause any damage to any inhabited islands.

Tropical Cyclone Zuman

| 10-min winds = 60 | 1-min winds = 55 Cyclone Zuman existed from April 19 to April 26.

Tropical Cyclone Blanch

| 10-min winds = 40 | 1-min winds = 30 On May 20, TCWC Nadi started to monitor a tropical depression that had developed about 1440 km to the northeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Other system

In addition to 12 named cyclones, one other system developed during the season. Cyclone 13P existed from February 2 to February 5.

Seasonal effects

|- | Osea || || bgcolor=#|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|55 kn || bgcolor=#| || None || None || None || |- | Patsy || || bgcolor=#|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|60 kn || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || || || |- | Raja || || bgcolor=#|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|80 kn || bgcolor=#| || Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, Fiji || $ || 2 || |- | Sally || || bgcolor=#|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|80 kn || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands, French Polynesia || $ || || |- | Tusi || || bgcolor=#|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|80 kn || bgcolor=#| || Tokelau, Samoan Islands, Cook Islands || $ || None || |- | 13P || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Uma || || bgcolor=#|Category 4 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|90 kn || bgcolor=#|940 hPa || Vanuatu || $ || 50 || |- | Veli || || bgcolor=#|Category 1 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|45 kn || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu || Minimal || None || |- | 19P || || bgcolor=#|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|50 kn || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | Wini || || bgcolor=#|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|70 kn || bgcolor=#| || Western Samoa, American Samoa || Extensive || None || |- | Yali || || bgcolor=#|Category 3 severe tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|65 kn || bgcolor=#|970 hPa || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia || None || None || |- | Zuman || || bgcolor=#|Category 2 tropical cyclone || bgcolor=#|55 kn || bgcolor=#| || Western Samoa, American Samoa || || || |- | Blanch(e) || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|40 kn || bgcolor=#|990 hPa || Solomon Islands || || || |-

References

References

1. Revell, C G. (1987). "The 1986/87 Hurricane Season in the South Pacific". The Meteorological Society of New Zealand.
2. (1992). "Tropical Cyclones in the Southwest Pacific: November 1979 – May 1989". New Zealand Meteorological Service, (Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research).
3. Mike Longworth. "Tropical Cyclone Experiences in Vanuatu".
4. (5 January 1987). "Sally's $35m trail". Canberra Times.
5. (5 January 1987). "Hurricane Sally, "Worst in Memory," Leaves Island Devastated". AP.
6. Laidlaw, Michael R. (February 17, 1987). "Tropical Cyclone Report: 87/4: Tropical Cyclone Tusi". Fiji Meteorological Service.
7. ["1987 Tropical Cyclone Veli (1987037S14152)"]({{IBTRACS url). International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS).
8. Singh, Sudah. (Summer 1987). "Tropical Cyclone Veli". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
9. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. (1993). "Annex A: Warning Verification Statistics: C: Southern Hemisphere". United States Navy, United States Airforce.
10. Joint Typhoon Warning Center. "Tropical Cyclone 16P (Veli) best track analysis". United States Navy, United States Air Force.
11. Kishore, Satya. (1987). "Tropical Cyclone Yali, March 5–12". United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
12. "1987 Tropical Cyclone YALI (1987065S11164)". International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS).
13. Darwin Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre. (1987). "March 1987". Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
14. Laisenia, Tui. (July 3, 2010). "Disaster Risk Management Risk — Fiji". Sentinel Asia.
15. Kishore, Satya. (March 26, 1987). "Tropical Cyclone Sally". Fiji Meteorological Service.
16. (January 20, 1987). "Another cyclone hits cook islands".
17. Laidlaw, Michael R. (February 17, 1987). "Tropical Cyclone Tusi". Fiji Meteorological Service.
18. (March 4, 2009). "A Special Submission to the UN Committee for Development Policy on Vanuatu's LDC Status A". United Nations.