| Slides 1 & 2 Cyclone Ron |
Tropical Cyclone Ron, along with its twin , Susan, were the two most intense cyclones to form in the South Pacific in recent years. As a storm Ron passed very near the Swains Island and intensification proceeded at a fairly rapid rate after that. The greatest damage from Tropical Cyclone Ron occurred on the Tongan island of Niuafo'ou where about 67 percent of the buildings were either damaged or destroyed. Fortunately, no deaths were reported. |
| January 1-9, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 155 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 3 & 4 Cyclone Susan |
Tropical Cyclone Susan developed from a disturbance which had actually been tracked since December 20, 1997. Susan intensified rapidly, only 18 hours after being named it reached hurricane strength. After passing Fiji Susan accelerated greatly on a southeasterly course across the Pacific. Overall damage from Susan was minor. High seas inundated Talaulia village on Kadavu, Fiji and partly destroyed some beach front buildings, roads, jetties and bridges on the island. One death was reported on the island of Ambrym, Vanuatu. |
| January 3 - 9, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 140 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 5 & 6 Cyclone Katrina |
Tropical Cyclone Katrina, while not as intense as the two concurrent cyclones Ron and Susan father east, certainly became the longest lived cyclone of the Southern Hemisphere. Katrina wandered along on a contorted track for over three weeks across the Coral Sea and South Pacific. One fatality was reported in Vanuatu when a man fishing from a reef was swept away. 200 homes were destroyed on southern Guadalcanal and 450 homes lost on the islands of Rennel and Bellona. |
| January 3 - 24, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 90 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 7 & 8 Cyclone Ursula |
Tropical Cyclone Ursula began on January 29, 1999 to the north of Tahiti and moved southeast through the Tuamotu Archipelago. It reached a peak intensity of 65 kt on February 1, 1998. Very few tropical cyclones move as far east in the South Pacific as Ursula. There were no reports of casualties or damage. |
| January 30 - February 1, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 65 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 9 & 10 Cyclone Yali |
Tropical Cyclone Yali developed in the Southwest Pacific and drifted to the west between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The system meandered to the southeast passing near the islands of Tanna and Aneityum. It reached a peak intensity of 90 kt on March 22, 1998. The storm caused severe crop damage on some of the southern most islands of Vanuatu. About 65 percent of the houses on Tanna were badly damaged. |
| March 18 - 27, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 90 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 11 & 12 Cyclone Nathan |
Tropical Cyclone Nathan developed from a low pressure area embedded in the weak monsoon trough soon after Yali had reached tropical cyclone intensity farther east. Nathan reached tropical cyclone intensity for a short time on March 23, 1998. As the system moved to the west it weaken as it approached the Australian coast. There were no reports of casualties or damage. |
| March 21-31, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 65 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 13 & 14 Cyclone Zuman |
Tropical Cyclone Zuman crossed over the northern end of the island of Espiritu Santo, the northern most island of Vanuatu at the beginning of April 1998. Zuman then drifted to the south and slowly accelerated in a southeasterly direction while weakening. The island of Espiritu Santo sustained heavy damage to dewellings. Damage to coconut tree plantations seriously affected the island's major industry copra. |
| March 30 - April 5, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 90 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
| Slides 15 & 16 Cyclone Cora |
Tropical Cyclone Cora developed from a disturbance over the northern Cooks which was embedded in the South Pacific Convergence Zone. Cora developed rapidly after being named and reach its peak intensity with winds of 90 kt on December 26, 1998. Most of the damage was to agriculture, with root crops being hardest hit. Damage estimates in Tongan, Tonga were $12 million. |
| December 23 - 28, 1998 |
| Maximum Wind Speed: 90 kt |
| View Track Line |
| View Visible Light Image |
| View Infrared Image |
