Cyclone Rewa
Meteorological history | |
---|---|
Formed | 26 December 1993 (UTC) |
Extratropical | 21 January 1994 |
Dissipated | 23 January 1994 (UTC) |
Category 5 severe tropical cyclone | |
10-minute sustained (BOM) | |
Highest winds | 205 km/h (125 mph) |
Lowest pressure | 920 hPa (mbar); 27.17 inHg |
Category 4-equivalent tropical cyclone | |
1-minute sustained (SSHWS/JTWC) | |
Highest winds | 230 km/h (145 mph) |
Overall effects | |
Fatalities | 22 total |
Areas affected | Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Eastern Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and New Zealand |
IBTrACS | |
Part of the 1993–94 South Pacific and Australian region cyclone seasons |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Rewa affected six countries and caused 22 deaths on its 28-day journey across the South Pacific Ocean in December 1993 and January 1994. Cyclone Rewa developed from a tropical disturbance on 28 December south of
Over the following days, the cyclone showed signs of restrengthening and executed an elongated cyclonic loop to the southeast of
The cyclone caused the deaths of 22 people on its course, affecting parts of the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea,
Meteorological history
During 26 December, the
On December 30, the JTWC reported that Rewa had become equivalent to a category 1 hurricane on the
During 4 January, Rewa moved back into the South Pacific basin and continued eastward as a weakening category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained wind speeds estimated at 140 km/h (85 mph).
As it moved into the Australian region, Rewa began to move in a long arc to the northwest and then to the north, and on January 13, both the JTWC and the
Preparations and impact
Twenty-two people lost their lives in accidents caused by Cyclone Rewa, while it affected parts off the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and New Zealand.
The Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Zealand
The Solomon Islands were affected by the developing tropical cyclone between 28–30 December and was the first Island country to be impacted by Rewa.[13] As it developed into a tropical cyclone on 28 December, the system passed to the north of the outer lying atolls of Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. Rewa then passed over the southern tip of Malaita Island, before passing to the south of Guadalcanal Island and the north of Rennell Island during 29 December.[2][6]
The system had no effect on Vanuatu while it passed through the Solomon Islands between 28 – 30 December; however the southern islands of Vanuatu were affected by the cyclone after it had passed through New Caledonia during 5 January.[14] As it moved towards the north-west between 6–8 January, Rewa brought high seas and strong winds to parts of the island nation including the provinces of Shefa and Tafea.[14] Some damage was recorded to Port Villa's harbours intertidal zone, as the system passed about 175 km (110 mi) to the southeast of the city.[14]
Between 19–24 January, Rewa's remnants, a slow moving
New Caledonia
Cyclone Rewa started to affect New Caledonia on 5 January, before it passed over
Papua New Guinea
Cyclone Rewa affected Papua New Guinea on two separate occasions while it was active, with the cyclone first affecting the archipelago between 28 December and 1 January, before grazing the archipelago between 12–14 January.
Australia
During the opening days of 1994, Rewa moved southwards parallel to the Queensland coast; however, because it was located about 600 km (370 mi) to the north-east of Mackay, it was too far away from the coast for there to be any direct impact on Queensland.[2][25] The only indirect impact was higher surf, from which several people had to be rescued from before the cyclone started to move towards New Caledonia during 4 January.[17][25] As Rewa affected Queensland for the second time, watches and warnings were issued for various parts of Queensland by the BoM, who predicted a landfall near Mackay.[7][26] On 18 January local disaster committees met to consider evacuating people, while people who were on vacation in national parks were alerted about Rewa by a helicopter.[26] A military training exercise that was due to take place in Shoalwater Bay had to be cancelled, with army personnel evacuated to Rockhampton to avoid being cut off by flood waters.[26] Along the coast, several ports including Gladstone were shut with large vessels told to head to sea and small vessels told to batten down and prepare for the storm.[26]
On 19 January Rewa started to affect Queensland with torrential rain and storm force windspeeds which caused some damage along the coast.[6] However it did not make its predicted landfall near Mackay, instead it recurved to the south-southeast and came to within 100 km (60 mi) of the coast.[6][27] Two men off Yeppoon's coast were rescued from a fishing trawler by an army Black Hawk helicopter after high seas damaged the trawler's propeller and snapped its heavy anchor chain, leaving it drifting helplessly in the cyclone's path.[27][28] The worst affected island was Lady Elliot as it bore the brunt of the wind, while on Heron Island, several rare trees and bird rookeries were either destroyed or severely damaged. As Rewa interacted with an upper trough of low pressure on 19 January, heavy rainfall and thunderstorms were observed in parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.[29] Brisbane received over 144 mm (5.7 in) in just six hours, which led to some localised flash flooding in parts of the city and four deaths.[28][29] Three of the deaths were from people crashing their cars, while the other death occurred when a person went surfing Brisbane's flood water and got trapped in a storm drain.[28][30] Within Brisbane, 100 homes and 20 cars were damaged by the flood waters, while a Sheffield Shield cricket match between Western Australia and Queensland was delayed, after the Gabba resembled a small lake.[31]
See also
- Cyclone Katrina (1998) – another erratic and long-lived tropical cyclone
- Hurricane John (1994) – the longest-tracked tropical cyclone on record
- Cyclone Freddy (2023) – the longest-lived tropical cyclone record
References
- ^ a b c d e f Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Detachment; National Climatic Data Center (25 June 1996). Tropical Cyclone Rewa, 26 December 1993 - 21 January 1994 (Global tropical/extratropical cyclone climatic atlas). Indiana University. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "1993 Severe Tropical Cyclone Rewa (1993360S04171)". International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ ISSN 1321-4233. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Hanstrum, Barry N; Smith KJ; Bate, Peter W (2 June 1996). "The South Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Season 1993–94" (PDF). Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal (45). Australian Bureau of Meteorology: 137–147. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
- ^ a b 1994 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report (PDF) (Report). United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center. 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Tropical Cyclone Rewa (Report). Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ ISBN 0-642-22435-8.
- ^ S2CID 244220599.
- .
- ^ ISSN 1321-4233. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Cyclone ravages Australia". Reading Eagle. Australian Associated Press. 20 January 1994. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ 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 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Tropical Cyclones/Depressions that passed through Solomon Islands Region" (PDF). Solomon Islands Meteorological Service. 13 September 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Tropical cyclones in Vanuatu: 1847 to 1994 (PDF) (Report). Vanuatu Meteorological Service. 19 May 1994. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- ^ a b "January 1994 South Island Ex-tropical Cyclone Rewa". New Zealand Historic Weather Events Catalog. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. 10 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ^ a b c "Climatologie des cyclones: Phénomènes ayant le plus durement touché la Nouvelle-Calédonie: De 1880 à nos jours" [Climatologie des cyclones: Phenomena that have hit New Caledonia the hardest from 1880 to the present day] (in French). Meteo France New Caledonia. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ a b Newmann, Steve (9 January 1994). "Earthweek: a diary of the planet for the week ending 7 January 1994". The Sunday Gazette. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-387-71542-1.
- ^ "Nine Missing in Cyclone". Associated Press. 31 December 1993. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b c "PNG floods: death toll eases but thousands more homeless". The Canberra Times. National Library of Australia. 31 December 1993. p. 6. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ a b c "Nine missing after cyclone hits png". Xinhua News Agency. 19 January 1994. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Floods Kill at Least 8, More than 1,000 Homeless". The Australian Associated Press. 30 December 1993. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b "13 Dead in cyclone". Manila Standard. Associated Press. 21 January 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
- ^ Beven II, John L (7 January 1994). "Tropical Cyclone Weekly Summary #126 (26 December 1993 – 2 January 1994)". Florida State University. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ a b Smith, A (5 January 1994). "No relief near for heat-weary state". Nationwide News Pty Limited. The Courier-Mail. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d "Queensland on Cyclone Rewa alert". The Adelaide Advertiser. Nationwide News Pty Limited. 19 January 1994. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b Tom, Emma (20 January 1994). "QLD battered as cyclone eases". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 4. – via Lexis Nexis (subscription required)
- ^ a b c Callaghan, Jeff (12 August 2004). "Tropical Cyclone Impacts along the Australian east coast from November to April 1858 to 2000" (PDF). Australian Severe Weather. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ a b Queensland Hydrology Section (2010). "Queensland Flood Summary 1990 – 1999". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
- ^ Tom, Emma (21 January 1994). "New threat as cyclone whirls out to sea". The Age. p. 6. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
- ^ Attorney-General's Department (5 May 2011). "Disasters Database: Disaster Event Details: Cyclone Rewa". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
External links
- World Meteorological Organization
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology
- Fiji Meteorological Service
- New Zealand MetService
- Joint Typhoon Warning Center