Category 4 the second-highest classification on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale which is used to classify tropical cyclones, that have 10-minute sustained winds of at least wind speeds of 86–107 knots (159–198 km/h; 99–123 mph). As of 2019[update] 47 tropical cyclones have peaked Category 4 severe tropical cyclones in the South Pacific tropical cyclone basin, which is denoted as the part of the Pacific Ocean to the south of the equator and to the east of 160°E. The earliest tropical cyclone to be classified as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone was Gyan which was classified as a Category 4 during December 22, 1981, as it impacted New Caledonia. The latest was Pola as it passed between Fiji and Tonga. This list does include any tropical cyclones that peaked as a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, while in the Southern Pacific tropical cyclone basin.
Background
The South Pacific tropical cyclone basin is located to the south of the Equator between 160°E and 120°W. The basin is officially monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service and the New Zealand MetService, while other meteorological services such as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Météo-France as well as the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center also monitor the basin. Within the basin a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone is a tropical cyclone that has 10-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of 86–107 knots (159–198 km/h; 99–123 mph) on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. A named storm could also be classified as a Category 4 tropical cyclone if it is estimated, to have 1-minute mean maximum sustained wind speeds of between 113–136 knots (209–252 km/h; 130–157 mph) on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. This scale is only officially used in American Samoa, however, various agencies including NASA also use it to compare tropical cyclones. A Category 4 tropical cyclone is expected to cause catastrophic devastation, if it significantly impacts land at or near its peak intensity.
Systems
| Name | Duration | Peak intensity | Areas affected | Damage (USD) | Deaths | Refs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed | Pressure | ||||||
| Pam | January 30 – February 8, 1974 | 195 km/h (120 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu New Caledonia, Queensland | Significant | Unknown | |
| Gyan | December 18–29, 1981 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Vanuatu | |||
| Abigail | February 2–3, 1982 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 947 hPa (27.96 inHg) | ||||
| Isaac | February 27 – March 5, 1982 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Tonga | 10 million | 6 | |
| Bernie | April 5 – 9, 1982 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 960 hPa (28.35 inHg) | ||||
| Nisha Orama | February 13–28, 1983 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | French Polynesia | $1.7 million | ||
| Oscar | February 28, 1983 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 920 hPa (27.17 inHg) | Fiji | $130 million | 9 | |
| Rewa | March 9–13, 1983 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 955 hPa (28.20 inHg) | French Polynesia | 5 | ||
| Sarah | March 23 – April 4, 1983 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Fiji | None | ||
| Tomasi | March 27 – April 5, 1983 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 955 hPa (28.20 inHg) | Cook Islands, Niue | Minor | None | |
| Veena | April 8–14, 1983 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 955 hPa (28.20 inHg) | French Polynesia | 1 | ||
| Odette | January 19, 1985 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 936 hPa (27.64 inHg) | Vanuatu | |||
| Ima | February 5–16, 1986 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 965 hPa (28.50 inHg) | Cook Islands | |||
| Uma | February 4–8, 1987 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Vanuatu | $150 million | 50 | |
| Anne | January 5–14, 1988 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Vanuatu, New Caledonia | $500 000 | 2 | |
| Bola | February 24 – March 4, 1988 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Vanuatu, Fiji, New Zealand | $87 million | 3 | |
| Harry | February 8–19, 1989 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | New Caledonia | |||
| Ofa | January 27 – February 10, 1990 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Polynesia | $187 million | 8 | |
| Val | December 4–17, 1991 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Tuvalu, Samoan Islands | $330 million | 16 | c |
| Wasa Arthur | December 4–18, 1991 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | French Polynesia | $60 million | 2 | |
| Betsy | January 4–15, 1992 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Vanuatu | $2 million | 2 | |
| Esau | February 24 – March 7, 1992 | 195 km/h (120 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Vanuatu | Minimal | 1 | |
| Joni | December 3–13, 1992 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Tuvalu, Fiji | $1.6 million | 1 | |
| Nina | 21 December 1992 – 5 January 1993 | 150 km/h (90 mph) | 960 hPa (28.35 inHg) | Queensland, Tonga, Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands, Wallis and Futuna | $1 million | 32 | |
| Prema | March 26 – April 6, 1993 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Vanuatu, New Caledonia | $50 million | 1 | |
| Sarah | January 18 – February 4, 1994 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 945 hPa (27.91 inHg) | ||||
| Theodore | February 26 – March 3, 1994 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 933 hPa (27.55 inHg) | ||||
| Beti | March 21–28, 1996 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | New Caledonia, Vanuatu Australia, New Zealand | $5.3 million | 2 | |
| Drena | January 3–10, 1997 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | Vanuatu, New Caledonia New Zealand | |||
| Gavin | March 3–12, 1997 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Tuvalu, Fiji Wallis and Futuna | $18.3 million | 18 | |
| Dani | January 15–22, 1999 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Vanuatu, Fiji New Caledonia | $2 million | 14 | |
| Kim | February 23–29, 2000 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | French Polynesia | Minimal | None | |
| Paula | February 26 – March 4, 2001 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga | $1.39 million | 2 | |
| Waka | December 19, 2001 – January 2, 2002 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Wallis and Futuna, Tonga | $51.3 million | 1 | |
| Eseta | March 10–14, 2003 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Fiji | $876,239 | None | |
| Ivy | February 21 – March 2, 2004 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | Vanuatu | $8 million | 2 | |
| Nancy | February 10–17, 2005 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Cook Islands | Severe | None | |
| Xavier | October 20–26, 2006 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Solomon Islands, Vanuatu | Extensive | None | |
| Daman | December 2–10, 2008 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Fiji, Tonga | $330 000 | None | |
| Funa | January 14–21, 2008 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | Vanuatu | Severe | None | |
| Oli | January 29 – February 7, 2010 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Cook Islands, French Polynesia | $70 million | 1 | |
| Tomas | March 9 – 17, 2010 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 925 hPa (27.32 inHg) | Wallis and Futuna, Fiji | $45 million | 3 | |
| Zelia | 12 – 18 January 2011 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 943 hPa (27.85 inHg) | Norfolk Island, New Zealand | None | None | |
| Wilma | January 19 – 28, 2011 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 935 hPa (27.61 inHg) | Samoan Islands, Tonga New Zealand | $22 million | 3 | |
| Atu | February 13 – 24, 2011 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 937 hPa (27.67 inHg) | New Caledonia, Vanuatu | |||
| Jasmine | February 6 – 19, 2012 | 195 km/h (120 mph) | 937 hPa (27.67 inHg) | Solomon Islands, Vanuatu New Caledonia, Tonga | None | None | |
| Evan | December 9 – 19, 2012 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 943 hPa (27.85 inHg) | Samoan Islands, Fiji Wallis and Futuna | $161 million | 4 | |
| Freda | December 26, 2012 – January 4, 2013 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Solomon Islands New Caledonia | Unknown | 2 | |
| Sandra | March 9 – 14, 2013 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 930 hPa (27.46 inHg) | New Caledonia, New Zealand | None | None | |
| Ula | December 26, 2015 – January 12, 2016 | 185 km/h (115 mph) | 945 hPa (27.91 inHg) | Tuvalu, Samoan Islands, Tonga Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia | Unknown | 1 | |
| Hola | March 3 – 11, 2018 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 952 hPa (28.11 inHg) | Fiji, Vanuatu New Caledonia, New Zealand | Unknown | 3 | |
| Pola | February 23 – March 2, 2019 | 165 km/h (105 mph) | 950 hPa (28.05 inHg) | Wallis and Futuna, Fiji, Tonga | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Dovi | February 6 – 12, 2022 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 940 hPa (27.76 inHg) | Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand | $80 million | 1 | [citation needed] |
| Judy | February 23 – March 4, 2023 | 175 km/h (110 mph) | 945 hPa (27.91 inHg) | Vanuatu | Unknown | Unknown | |
Other systems
The FMS considers Gabrielle to have peaked as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone in the Australian region and weakened into a Category 3 severe tropical cyclone as it moved into its area of responsibility.
In addition to the 47 tropical cyclones listed above Severe Tropical Cyclone's: Kerry, Katrina, Larry and Jasper, were considered by the BoM to be Category 4 Severe tropical cyclones within the South Pacific Ocean, after they had moved into the Australian region. The BoM also considers Severe Tropical Cyclone Watorea, to have been a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone, within the Australian region before it moved into the basin during February 24. Severe Tropical Cyclone Anne was estimated to have peaked by the JTWC, with one-minute sustained wind speeds of 260 km/h (160 mph) for six hours during January 11, 1988. This made it equivalent to a Category 5 tropical cyclone on the SSHWS, however, the FMS estimated that the system had peaked with 10-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph) based on the Dvorak technique, which made it a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale. During 2017, a study into Category 4 and 5 tropical cyclones over the South Pacific during the 1980s, was published within the Royal Meteorological Society's International Journal of Climatology. This showed that the intensity of such tropical cyclones had been underestimated by the various warning centres during the decade. In particular, they estimated that Severe Tropical Cyclone's Oscar and Nisha-Orama had 1-minute sustained winds of 285 km/h (175 mph), which would make them Category 5 tropical cyclones on the SSHWS.
See also
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about List of Category 4 South Pacific severe tropical cyclones, What is List of Category 4 South Pacific severe tropical cyclones? What does List of Category 4 South Pacific severe tropical cyclones mean?