2000–01 South Pacific cyclone season

Seasonal summary

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During the 2000–01 South Pacific cyclone season, only four tropical cyclones and one severe tropical cyclone formed. Compared to an average season, which generally features nine tropical cyclones and four to five severe tropical cyclones, the 2000–01 season was substantially below average. The season itself began unusually late, with the first system developing on February 20; however, according to the JTWC, a brief tropical storm existed between February 16 and 18.

Systems

Tropical Depression 01F

|10-min winds=35 Two people were killed in Fiji as a result of severe flooding.

Tropical Depression 04F

Tropical Depression 05F

Tropical Depression 06F

--

Tropical Depression 07F

|1-min winds=35 |10-min winds=30 A brief tropical storm was monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center just off the northern coast of New Caledonia.

Tropical Cyclone Oma

|10-min winds=50 |1-min winds=45 Cyclone Oma formed on February 20, dissipated on February 22.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Paula

|10-min winds=95 |1-min winds=105 Main article: Cyclone Paula

Formed on February 26, dissipated on March 4.

Three people were killed by the storm, two in Vanuatu and one in Fiji. On Vanuatu, sustained winds reached 100 km/h and gusts were estimated at 200 km/h. Initial reports indicated that a young boy had been swept away near Santo and was presumed dead. However, the boy was found days later clinging to a rock. The two fatalities in the country resulted from fallen tree limbs on the islands of Epi and Ambae. Following an aerial assessment of damage in Vanuatu, Malampa and Shefa provinces in were declared disaster areas. In these provinces, nearly 50% of all homes sustained damage and upwards of a quarter of all buildings were impacted. In Fiji, damage from Paula was much less than initially feared; however, several homes in the Western Division were destroyed by rough seas produced by the storm. Elsewhere, structural damage was minimal and a few landslides resulted in damage to crops. Throughout the country, preliminary estimates placed the damage at US$800,000.

Following the storm, requests for assistance from the French government were made by Vanuatu. By March 5, a package of relief supplies, consisting of blankets, water purifiers and clothes was brought to the storm-battered nation.

Tropical Cyclone Rita

|10-min winds=45 |1-min winds=40

On February 27, RSMC Nadi reported that Tropical Disturbance had developed within the South Pacific Convergence Zone to the southeast of the French Polynesian island Hao about 705 mi (1135 km) to the southeast of Papeete. At this time, the disturbance was embedded in an active SPCZ and positioned slightly north of a diffluent upper ridge. During the next day the system was significantly influenced by southerly wind shear, which displaced its cloud canopy to the north and exposed the LLCC to the south. However, overnight on the 28th, convection began to develop close to the centre, against the shear and diurnal variations. SST was around 30°C. With the active eastward-progressing MJO cycle, potential for development into a tropical cyclone was high. By 28/2000 UTC convection had continued to increase about the centre with further cooling of cloud tops. 10F was consequently named Tropical Cyclone “Rita” while located about 210 nm northeast of Mururoa and moving slowly southward under a weak northerly steering field. By 02/0000 UTC, overall convective organisation showed significant improvement resulting in a small CDO-type feature appearing with cloud tops cooling steadily. Based on this, the intensity was increased to storm category at 02/0600 UTC as Rita moved towards south-southeast at about 05 knots. However, convective tops warmed rapidly thereafter under strong wind shear with steady signs of weakening. The system was subsequently downgraded to gale intensity six hours later. After 02/1200 UTC, Rita turned toward the south and into strong northwesterly wind shear. The strong subtropical ridge to the east steered the system more south-southwestward, resulting it its passage just northwest of Rikitea. After moving into TCWC Wellingtons area of responsibility, Rita maintained its circulation for 36 horus before it became an extratropical cyclone early on March 5 while located about 500 nm south-southwest of Pitcairn Island.

Tropical Depression 11F

|10-min winds= This depression existed from March 1 to March 3.

Tropical Depression 12F

|10-min winds= This depression existed from March 1 to March 3.

Tropical Cyclone Sose

Main article: Cyclone Sose

|10-min winds=60 |1-min winds=70 Formed on April 5, dissipated on April 11.

Tropical Depression 14F

|10-min winds=40 Formed on May 1, dissipated on May 3.

Other systems

The following weak tropical disturbances/depressions were also monitored by RSMC Nadi, however these systems were either short lived or did not develop significantly. On December 18, RSMC Nadi started to monitor Tropical Depression 03F, to the southeast of Tahiti in French Polynesia.

No named tropical cyclones formed in the South Pacific during May, but gale warnings were issued on two depressions, neither of which were tropical in nature, but rather were cold-cored, hybrid-type systems forming under strong shear aloft. The forecast gales were expected to develop in the systems' southern semicircles due to gradient compression as the LOWs moved into a strong ridge to the south. The first depression (14F) formed on 1 May about 225 nm west-northwest of Rarotonga, initially moved eastward, passing about 50 nm north of the island around 01/1800 UTC, and later accelerated off to the southeast. The final warning available to the author, issued by Wellington at 03/1200 UTC, placed the center about 550 nm southeast of Tahiti.

On May 7, Depression 15F developed about 475 km to the west of Papeete on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti. Over the next couple of days the depression moved south-eastwards, before the final advisory was issued by RSMC Nadi on May 9.

Season effects

This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific to the east of longitude 160°E during the 2001–2002 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 2002 USD.

|- | || December 11–15 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|65 km/h (40 mph) || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || None || 2 || |- | || December 18–19 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || February 16–18 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || February 20–22 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || Minor || None || |- | || February 26 – March 4 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga || || 2 || |- | || February 27 – March 5 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || March 1–3 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || March 1–3 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || March 10 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Australia || || 4 || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |- | || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || || |-

References

References

1. "Archived copy".
2. L.-C. Chappel and P.W. Bate. (2003). "The South Pacific and southeast Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season 2000-01". Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
3. ({{CURRENTYEAR}}). "International Disaster Database: Disaster List". Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters.
4. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (March 1, 2001). "Vanuatu and Fiji Islands — Tropical Cyclone Paula OCHA Situation Report No. 1". ReliefWeb.
5. Karen Hales. (2001). "Cyclone Paula Diary...". Vanuatu.com.
6. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. (March 6, 2001). "Vanuatu and Fiji Islands — Tropical Cyclone Paula OCHA Situation Report No. 2". ReliefWeb.
7. (March 5, 2001). "France delivers cyclone relief supplies". BBC.
8. Padgett, Gary. "Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary: May 2001".
9. (2003-03-01). "The South Pacific and southeast Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season 2000–01". Australian Bureau of Meteorology.