Cyclone Joni
Location | Satellite image of Cyclone Joni near its peak intensity |
---|---|
Meteorological history | |
Formed | December 3, 1992 |
Extratropical | December 13, 1992 |
Dissipated | December 14, 1992 |
Category 4 severe tropical cyclone | |
10-minute sustained (FMS) | |
Highest winds | 165 km/h (105 mph) |
Lowest pressure | 940 hPa (mbar); 27.76 inHg |
Category 3-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
Highest winds | 205 km/h (125 mph) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 1 |
Damage | $1.6 million (1992 USD) |
Areas affected | Tuvalu, Fiji |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1992–93 South Pacific cyclone season |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Joni was a damaging tropical cyclone that impacted the island nations of
Joni caused gale to storm force winds on the Tuvuluan island of
Meteorological history
At the start of December 1992, a shallow tropical depression developed along the
The FMS classified Joni as a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone during December 9, after an eye had become apparent in satellite imagery.
Preparations and impact
Severe Tropical Cyclone Joni impacted the island nations of
During its developing stages, Joni was the first of two tropical cyclones to affect Tuvalu during the 1992–93 season.[1] As the system started to affect the islands during December 5, the FMS issued a gale warning for Niulakita, while strong wind warnings were issued for the rest of the island nation.[1] Joni subsequently passed near Niulakita during December 7, where it caused gale to storm force winds and minor damage to the islands.[1] The system also caused some damage to crops which were valued at AU$6,900 (US$5,000).[7] A tropical cyclone alert was issued for Wallis and Futuna during January 6, while a gale warning was issued for Rotuma during January 7.[1] There was subsequently no damage reported in either the French Territory or the Fijian dependency.[1][8]
Between December 9–11, 1992, Joni became the first named tropical cyclone to directly impact the Fiji Islands since Severe Tropical Cyclone Sina of 1990.[9] Joni caused a moderate to severe amount of damage to Viti Levu, with an overall damage total of about FJ$2 million (US$1.6 million).[10][11] At various times between December 7 – 11, the whole of the main Fijian islands were placed under either a gale, storm or hurricane-force wind warning by the FMS.[1] Ahead of the system affecting Fiji, international and domestic flights to and from the Nadi International Airport were cancelled during December 9 and 10, while ships and small boats in Lautoka were moved to a nearby river.[12][13][14] Hundreds of tourists on Fiji's offshore islands were evacuated to the mainland before the cyclone hit, while around 350 elected to ride out the system at island resorts.[13] Other preparations included the erection of hurricane shutters, while people rushed to stock up on supplies with shelves cleared of emergency supplies.[12] On some islands, villagers were evacuated to community centres, schools and churches at the height of the storm.[13][15]
Joni's impact on Fiji was generally confined to the Western Division, with the islands of Yasawa, Mamanuca, Viti Levu, Kadavu and Vatulele being the worst affected areas.[1][11] The system caused high seas and widespread flooding including in several rivers on Viti Levu, which led to a substantial loss of livestock.[16][17] In the immediate aftermath of the system a total of ten people were left missing, including a group of three fishermen in the Yasawa Islands.[13][15] A group of three females on a fishing trip also went missing and were later found on an offshore island.[15][18] A search party of four men went missing off Vanua Levu, while looking for the women, however, one swam ashore, while the other three were picked up by a cargo ship.[15][18] Parts of Fiji's main cities of Suva, Nadi, and Lautoka were left without power, as falling trees brought down power lines.[13] The Fijian Government reported that coconut plantations had been extensively damaged and that there was limited communications with the Western Division.[13] Despite Joni's eye passing directly over Kadavu during December 11, the damage on the island was limited to wave induced coastal erosion, root crop damage and the loss of a few trees.[19][20] The system passed near the wave rider station on the island, which recorded a peak wave height of about 7.2 metres (24 ft) as Joni made its closest point of approach.[19] During December 12, an army helicopter was deployed to conduct a damage survey of offshore islands.[21] A total of six people were subsequently arrested in Suva and Nadi on December 14, in relation to a series of burglaries, committed during power blackouts caused by the cyclone.[18] Joni's damage in both Tuvalu and Fiji was exacerbated a month later, by Severe Tropical Cyclones Nina and Kina interacting with each other.[10][22][23]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Tropical Cyclone Joni, December 3-14, 1992 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. May 20, 1996. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Joint Typhoon Warning Center (1994). Annual Tropical Cyclone Report: 1993 (PDF) (Report). United States Navy, United States Air Force. p. 216. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c d MetService (May 22, 2009). "TCWC Wellington Best Track Data 1967–2006". International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship.[permanent dead link]
- ^ RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee (2023). Tropical Cyclone Operational Plan for the South-East Indian Ocean and the Southern Pacific Ocean 2023 (PDF) (Report). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ RSMC Nadi – Tropical Cyclone Centre (September 24, 2012). Tropical Cyclone Season Summary 2008–09 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ Tuvalu national report prepared for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction mid-term review and the 1994 World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, Yokohama, Japan, May 23-27, 1994 (PDF). Prevention Web (Report). February 16, 1994. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Cyclone threatens Fiji". Courier Mail. Australian Associated Press. December 9, 1992.
- ^ "Communication cut as Fiji's main island battered by cyclone". Agence France Presse. December 11, 1992.
- ^ OCLC 648466886.
- ^ a b Summary of Major Disasters in Fiji: 1985 - March 2010 (Report). Fiji National Disaster Management Office. July 9, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- ^ a b "Fiji battens down for full force of Tropical Cyclone Joni". Agence France Presse. December 10, 1992.
- ^ a b c d e f "Tourists flee as Joni hits Fiji". The Herald Sun. December 11, 1992.
- ^ "Cyclone threat". The Courier-Mail. December 11, 1992.
- ^ a b c d "Ten missing after cyclone Jonie hits Fiji". Agence France Presse. December 11, 1992.
- ^ McGree, Simon; Yeo, Stephen W; Devi, Swastika (October 2010). Flooding in the Fiji Islands Between 1840 and 2009 (PDF) (Report). Risk Frontiers. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-16.
- ^ "Cyclone rips into Fiji". Palm Beach Post. December 12, 1992.
- ^ a b c "Heroic cyclone rescue bid". Herald Sun. December 15, 1992.
- ^ a b Barstow, Stephen F; Haug, Ola (1994). Wave Climate of Fiji (PDF) (Report). South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 3, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
- ^ Benson, Charlotte (March 1997). The Economic Impact of Natural Disasters in Fiji (PDF) (Report). Overseas Development Institute. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 23, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ "Boy dies in cyclone". Courier-Mail. Australian Associated Press. December 12, 1992.
- ^ Pacific Country Report on Sea Level & Climate: Their Present State: Fiji (PDF) (Report). Australia National Tidal Facility. June 2002. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
- ^ Tropical Cyclone Nina, December 21, 1992 – January 4, 1993 (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. May 20, 1996. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.