Tag Archives: Aneityum

Tropical Cyclone Kevin Brings Wind and Rain to Southern Vanuatu

Tropical Cyclone Kevin brought wind and rain to southern Vanuatu on Friday morning. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Friday the center of Tropical Cyclone Kevin was located at latitude 19.0°S and longitude 169.2°E which put it about 60 miles (95 km) south-southeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Kevin was moving toward the southeast at 15 m.p.h. (24 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 105 m.p.h. (165 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 125 m.p.h. (200 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 963 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin brought strong winds and locally heavy rain to southern Vanuatu on Friday morning. Kevin was affecting the same area that was hit by Tropical Cyclone Judy earlier this week. Winds to hurricane/typhoon force extended out 50 miles (80 km) from the center of Kevin’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 185 miles (300 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Tropical Cyclone Kevin was 17.8. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 13.3 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 31.1. Tropical Cyclone Kevin was similar in size and intensity to Tropical Cyclone Judy.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin strengthened as it moved over southern Vanuatu on Friday morning. A circular eye with a diameter of 10 miles (16 km) was at the center of Kevin’s circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Tropical Cyclone Kevin. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical cyclone.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Kevin will move over over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29˚C. An upper level trough east of Australia will produce northwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Kevin’s circulation. Those winds will cause some vertical wind shear, but the wind shear will not be strong enough to prevent intensification during the rest of today. Tropical Cyclone Kevin is likely to continue to intensify during the next 24 hours. Kevin could strengthen to the equivalent of a major hurricane. The vertical wind shear will increase and Kevin will move over cooler water during the weekend. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will start to weaken when the wind shear increases.

The upper level trough east of Australia will steer Tropical Cyclone Kevin toward the southeast during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track, the center of Tropical Cyclone Kevin will move away from Port Vila and Efate during the next few hours. Kevin will continue to bring strong winds and locally heavy rain to Port Vila and Efate until it moves farther away. Port Vila and Efate were just hit by Tropical Cyclone Judy. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will hinder efforts to recover from Tropical Cyclone Judy. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will also bring wind and rain to Erromango, Tanna and Aneityum during the next 24 hours. Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

Elsewhere over the South Pacific Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Judy was making a transition to an extratropical cyclone southwest of Tonga. At 4:00 a.m. EST on Friday the center of Tropical Cyclone Judy was located at latitude 26.5°S and longitude 178.7°W which put it about 460 miles (740 km) southwest of Tonga. Judy was moving toward the east-southeast at 30 m.p.h. (48 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 70 m.p.h. (110 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 85 m.p.h. (135 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 984 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin Strengthens to Equivalent of a Hurricane/Typhoon

Tropical Cyclone Kevin strengthened to the equivalent of a hurricane/typhoon over the Coral Sea west of Vanuatu on Thursday. At 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday the center of Tropical Cyclone Kevin was located at latitude 16.7°S and longitude 166.1°E which put it about 195 miles (310 km) west-northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Kevin was moving toward the southeast at 14 m.p.h. (22 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 80 m.p.h. (130 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 100 m.p.h. (160 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 978 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin strengthened west of Vanuatu on Thursday. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the center of Kevin’s circulation. A circular eye with a diameter of 25 miles (40 km) formed at the center of circulation. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the core of Tropical Cyclone Kevin. Storms near the core generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical cyclone. Winds to hurricane/typhoon force extended out 70 miles (110 km) in the the northern side of Kevin’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 190 miles (305 km) from the center of circulation.

Tropical Cyclone Kevin will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Kevin will move over over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 30˚C. It will move under the middle of an upper level ridge over the eastern Coral Sea. The upper level winds are weak near the middle of the ridge and there will be little vertical wind shear. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will intensify the next 24 hours. Kevin could strengthen to the equivalent of a major hurricane.

An upper level trough east of Australia will steer Tropical Cyclone Kevin toward the southeast during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track, the center of Tropical Cyclone Kevin will pass west of Espiritu Santo and Malekula during the next few hours. Kevin will bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to Espiritu Santo and Malekula. Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations. The center of Tropical Cyclone Kevin will pass near Port Vila, Vanuatu in 12 hours. Kevin will bring strong winds and locally heavy rain to Port Vila and Efate. Port Vila and Efate were just hit by Tropical Cyclone Judy. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will hinder efforts to recover from Tropical Cyclone Judy. Tropical Cyclone Kevin will bring wind and rain to Erromango, Tanna and Aneityum on Friday.

Elsewhere over the South Pacific Ocean, Tropical Cyclone Judy was passing south-southwest of Fiji. At 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday the center of Tropical Cyclone Judy was located at latitude 25.4°S and longitude 177.3°E which put it about 495 miles (795 km) south-southwest of Suva, Fiji. Judy was moving toward the east-southeast at 20 m.p.h. (32 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 90 m.p.h. (145 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 115 m.p.h. (185 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 969 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Judy Brings Strong Winds, Heavy Rain to Port Vila

Tropical Cyclone Judy brought strong winds and heavy rain to Port Vila, Vanuatu on Tuesday night. At 10:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday the center of Tropical Cyclone Judy was located at latitude 18.7°S and longitude 168.9°E which put it about 40 miles (65 km) south-southeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Judy was moving toward the southeast at 16 m.p.h. (26 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 110 m.p.h. (175 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 130 m.p.h. (210 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 959 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Judy brought strong winds and heavy rain to Port Vila, Vanuatu on Tuesday night when the core of Judy’s circulation passed just east of Efate. A weather station at Bauer Field airport near Port Vila reported a sustained wind speed of 57 m.p.h. (92 km/h) and a wind gust of 91 m.p.h. (146 km/h). A weather station also reported a pressure of 961 mb.

A small circular eye with a diameter of 8 miles (13 km) was at the center of Tropical Cyclone Judy. The eye was surrounded by a ring of strong thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in that ring of storms. Bands of showers and thunderstorms were revolving around the center of Judy’s circulation. Storms near the center of circulation generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical cyclone.

Winds to hurricane/typhoon force extended out 30 miles (50 km) from the center of Tropical Cyclone Judy’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 145 miles (230 km) from the center of circulation. The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) was 19.2. The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) was 12.0 and the Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) was 31.2. Tropical Cyclone Judy was very similar in size and intensity to Hurricane Sally when Sally hit South Alabama in 2020.

Tropical Cyclone Judy will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 12 hours. Judy will move over over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29˚C. It will move under the eastern side of an upper level trough east of Australia. The trough will produce northwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Judy’s circulation. The winds in the lower levels of the atmosphere will also blow from the northwest and there will not be enough vertical wind shear to cause Tropical Cyclone Judy to weaken. Judy is likely to intensify during the next 12 hours. Tropical Cyclone Judy will move into a more unfavorable environment later on Wednesday. Judy will start to move over cooler water. The upper level trough east of Australia will move closer to Judy and the upper level winds will get stronger. Tropical Cyclone Judy will start to weaken when it moves over cooler water and the vertical wind shear increases.

The upper level trough east of Australia will steer Tropical Cyclone Judy toward the southeast during the next 48 hours. On its anticipated track Judy will move away from Efate on Wednesday. Tropical Cyclone Judy will continue to cause strong winds and heavy rain in Port Vila and Efate during the next few hours. The weather conditions on Efate will improve when Tropical Cyclone Judy moves farther away. Judy will bring strong winds and heavy rain to Erromango, Tanna and Aneityum during the next 12 to 24 hours. Heavy rain is likely to cause flash floods in some locations.

Tropical Cyclone Irene Forms West of Vanuatu

Tropical Cyclone Irene formed over the South Pacific Ocean west of Vanuatu on Wednesday morning. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday the center of Tropical Cyclone Irene was located at latitude 18.7°S and longitude 166.3°E which put it about 320 miles (520 km) west-southwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Irene was moving toward the east at 21 m.p.h. (33 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 75 m.p.h. (120 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 990 mb.

An area of low pressure over the South Pacific Ocean strengthened rapidly on Wednesday morning and the Fiji Meteorological Service designated the system as Tropical Cyclone Irene. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the western and southern side of Irene’s circulation. Other bands of thunderstorms were occurring in the eastern half of Tropical Cyclone Irene. Bands in the western half of the circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. Storms near the center of circulation generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away to the southeast of the tropical cyclone. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 115 miles (185 km) from the center of Irene.

Tropical Cyclone Irene will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Irene will move over over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near than 28˚C. An upper level trough east of Australia will produce northwesterly winds that will blow toward the top of Irene’s circulation. Those winds will cause vertical wind shear, but the wind shear will not be strong enough to prevent intensification. Tropical Cyclone Irene is likely to intensify during the next 24 hours. It could intensify rapidly during the next 12 hours. Irene could strengthen to the equivalent of a hurricane/typhoon.

The upper level trough east of Australia will steer Tropical Cyclone Irene quickly to the east-southeast during the next 24 hours. The center of Irene could pass near the southern islands of Vanuatu in 12 hours. The center of Tropical Cyclone Irene will be near Tanna and Aneityum in 12 hours. Irene could bring strong gusty winds and locally heavy rain to southern Vanuatu. Heavy rain could cause flash floods in some locations.

Tropical Cyclone Dovi Brings Wind and Rain to Vanuatu

Tropical Cyclone Dovi brought wind and rain to parts of Vanuatu on Wednesday morning. At 10:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday the center of Tropical Cyclone Dovi was located at latitude 20.5°S and longitude 169.4°E which put it about 260 miles (420 km) east-northeast of Noumea, New Caledonia. Dovi was moving toward the southeast at 6 m.p.h. (10 km/h). The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. (75 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h. (95 km/h). The minimum surface pressure was 991 mb.

Tropical Cyclone Dovi brought gusty winds and rain to southern Vanuatu on Wednesday morning. The center of Dovi’s circulation was southwest of Aneityum. Bands on the northern side of Tropical Cyclone Dovi also brought wind and rain to Erromango and Tanna. The inner end of a rainband wrapped around the center of Dovi’s circulation, which could represent the initial stage in the formation of an eyewall. Most of the thunderstorms and the strongest winds were occurring in bands in the northern half of Tropical Cyclone Dovi. Bands in the southern half of the circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds. Storms near the center generated upper level divergence that pumped mass away from the tropical cyclone. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 175 miles (280 km) in the northern half of Dovi’s circulation. Winds to tropical storm force extended out 70 miles (110 km) in the southern half of the circulation.

Tropical Cyclone Dovi will move through an environment favorable for intensification during the next 24 hours. Dovi will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 28˚C. It will move under the western part of an upper level ridge centered east of New Caledonia. The ridge will produce southerly winds that will blow toward the top of the tropical cyclone. Those winds will some moderate vertical wind shear. The wind shear will inhibit intensification, but it will not be strong enough to prevent intensification. Tropical Cyclone Dovi will intensify during the next 24 hours and it could strengthen rapidly if an inner core with an eye and an eyewall devlops.

Tropical Cyclone Dovi will move around the western side of a high pressure system over the South Pacific Ocean. The high pressure system will steer Dovi toward the southwest during the next 24 hours. On its anticipated track Tropical Cyclone Dovi will move slowly away from Vanuatu. Weather conditions will gradually improve as Dovi moves away. Tropical Cyclone Dovi will be near the Loyalty Islands in 12 hours. The center could pass near Mare. Dovi will bring gusty winds and locally heavy rain to Ouvea, Lifou and Mare. The center of Tropical Cyclone Dovi could be near Ile des Pins in 24 hours. Dovi will begin to affect southern New Caledonia during the next 24 hours.