- 2003–04 South Pacific cyclone season
Infobox hurricane season
Basin=SPac
Year=2004
Track=2003-2004 South Pacific cyclone season summary.jpg
First storm formed=January 2 ,2004
Last storm dissipated=March 23 2004
Strongest storm name=Heta
Strongest storm pressure=915
Strongest storm winds=115
Average wind speed=10
Total depressions=15
Total storms=
Total hurricanes=3
Total intense=
Fatalities=
Da
Inflated=
five seasons=2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06The 2003-04 South Pacific cyclone season was an event in the annual cycle oftropical cyclone formation. It began onNovember 1 ,2003 and ended onApril 30 ,2004 . These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the southernPacific Ocean east of 160°E. Additionally, the regional tropical cyclone operational plan defines a "tropical cyclone year" separately from a "tropical cyclone season", and the "tropical cyclone year" runs fromJuly 1 ,2003 toJune 30 ,2004 .http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/TCP/OperationPlans/TCP24-English2004.pdf]Tropical cyclones between 160°E and 120°W and north of 25°S are monitored by the
Fiji Meteorological Service inNadi . Those that move south of 25°S are monitored by theTropical Cyclone Warning Centre inWellington ,New Zealand .__TOC__
torms
Tropical Depression 01F
Existed between
December 5 andDecember 6 . [ [http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2004/summ0312.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary December 2003 ] ]evere Tropical Cyclone Heta
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=SPac
Track=Heta 2004 track.png
Formed=January 2
Dissipated=January 8
10-min winds=115
1-min winds=140
Pressure=915Cyclone Heta developed in the SouthPacific Ocean and reachedcyclone -force winds onJanuary 1 ,2004 . It struck theisland ofNiue with a much more direct blow onJanuary 6 . Heta's eyewall hit Niue almost exactly at the height of the storm's power. It caused extensive property damage throughout the island, and two people were killed. Efforts to rebuild from the storm in Niue lasted almost the entire year of 2004.Heta caused
American Samoa to declare astate of emergency (officially a "Declaration of Emergency" in American Samoan law) onJanuary 7 , and even though officially the storm never made landfall there, it necessitated theemergency evacuation of 140 people and was responsible for property damage.cite web|url=https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/atcr/2004atcr/|title=Summary of South Pacific and South Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones|accessdate=2007-12-02|work=2004 Annual Tropical Cyclone Report|publisher=Joint Typhoon Warning Center]The nation of
Tonga was also affected by Heta, as the winds swept away trees that were needed for the country's food supply. However, Tonga did not receive a direct hit or suffer such extensive loss as Niue.evere Tropical Cyclone Ivy
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=SPac
Track=Ivy 2004 track.png
Formed=February 23
Dissipated=February 28
10-min winds=90
1-min winds=105
Pressure=935Numbered 05F. Existed betweenFebruary 21 andFebruary 29 . Caused heavy damage in Vanuatu. [ [http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2004/summ0402.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary February 2004 ] ]Tropical Depression 06F
Formed on
March 20 , dumped heavy rainfall inVanuatu . [http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2004/summ0403.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary March 2004 ] ]Tropical Cyclone Grace
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=SPac
Track=Grace 2004 track.png
Formed=March 21
Dissipated=March 23
10-min winds=50
1-min winds=35
Pressure=985Entered the region from the west onMarch 23 , became extratropical the next day.cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/cyclones.cgi|title=Tropical Cyclone Information for Australia and Southern Hemisphere|accessdate=2007-12-02|work=Australia - East/2003-04|publisher=Australian Bureau of Meteorology] Designated as 07F by Nadi.Tropical Depression 08F
Existed between
March 28 andApril 1 .Tropical Depression 09F
Existed between
April 1 andApril 3 . [http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2004/summ0404.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary April 2004 ] ]Tropical Depression 10F
Infobox Hurricane Small
Basin=SPac
Formed=April 6
Dissipated=April 9
10-min winds=32
1-min winds=35
Pressure=995Existed betweenApril 6 andApril 9 . The storm was given the number 22P by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. It was responsible for causing severe flooding toFiji and at least ten deaths. [http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/200604/mcinerney.pdf The South Pacific and southeast Indian Ocean tropical cyclone season 2003-04] ]Tropical Depression 11F
Tropical Depression 12F
Formed on
April 7 , later caused severe flooding inFiji .Tropical Depression 13F
Originated from the west in
Brisbane 's area of responsibility, drifted into the region for a while, and moved west again.Tropical Disturbance 14F
Existed between
April 18 andApril 19 .Tropical Distubrance 15F
Existed for a few days until
April 24 .torm names
Non-frontal low pressure systems of synoptic scale developing over warm waters are named whenever surface observations and/or Dvorak intensity analysis indicates the presence of gale force or stronger winds near the centre. Unlike the Atlantic standard, an unnamed tropical system may have gales in one or more quadrants but not near the centre.
Tropical cyclones forming between 160°E and 120°W are assigned names by the
Fiji Meteorological Service . If a tropical cyclone forms in Wellington's area of responsibility, south of 25°S, the cyclone will still be given a name from the Fiji list. [ [http://www.australiansevereweather.com/cyclones/2007/summ0609.htm Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary September 2006 ] ] No tropical cyclone has ever been observed in the South Pacific Ocean east of 120°W, [ [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc/best_tracks/shindex.html JTWC Best Track Data ] ] and if one forms in the future, it is unclear how it will be handled.Names used in the South Pacific are used sequentially, unlike lists used in the
Atlantic Ocean and eastPacific Ocean by theNational Hurricane Centre . Only the names used during this cyclone season are listed below. The complete list of names are found in theWorld Meteorological Organization 's [http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/TCP/FactShtTCNames1July05.pdf official list] .*Heta
*IvyNote also that Cyclone Grace entered the region from the
Coral Sea in the Australian basin.ee also
*
List of Southern Hemisphere cyclone seasons
*Atlantic hurricane seasons: 2003, 2004
*Pacific hurricane seasons: 2003, 2004
*Pacific typhoon seasons: 2003, 2004
*North Indian Ocean cyclone seasons: 2003, 2004References
External links
* [http://www.bom.gov.au/amm/200604/mcinerney.pdf 2003-04 Season from Australian Meteorological Magazine]
* [http://www.met.gov.fj/documents/TC_Seasonal_Summary_03-041190690475.pdf RSMC Nadi Tropical Cyclone Season 2003-2004]
* [https://metocph.nmci.navy.mil/jtwc.html Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)] .
* [http://www.met.gov.fj/advisories.html Fiji Meteorological Service (RSMC Nadi)] .
* [http://www.metservice.co.nz/forecasts/index.asp Meteorological Service of New Zealand, Ltd. (TCWC Wellington)] .
* [http://www.wmo.int/index-en.html World Meteorological Organization]
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