- Cyclone Cliff
-
Tropical Cyclone Cliff Category 2 cyclone (Australian scale) Tropical Storm (SSHS) 
Tropical Cyclone Cliff Formed April 1, 2007 Dissipated April 6, 2007 Highest winds 10-minute sustained:
95 km/h (60 mph)
1-minute sustained:
100 km/h (65 mph)Lowest pressure 980 mbar (hPa; 28.94 inHg) Fatalities 1 direct, 3 indirect Damage $4.0 million (2007 USD) Areas affected Fiji and Tonga Part of the 2006–07 South Pacific cyclone season Cyclone Cliff (RSMC Nadi designation 14F, JTWC designation 23P) was the 14th Tropical Disturbance, 12th tropical depression and the sixth tropical cyclone, as well as the last tropical disturbance, of the 2006–07 South Pacific cyclone season that formed west of 160E.[1] Cliff was also the eighth tropical cyclone within the Southern Pacific Ocean as a whole.[2] The Joint Typhoon Warning Center also recognized Cliff as the 23rd Tropical Cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere and the 10th within the South Pacific.[1]
Cyclone Cliff formed as a tropical depression on April 3 to the northwest of Fiji. The next day after it had made landfall the depression was upgraded to tropical cyclone status and was named Cliff. Over the next few days Cliff gradually intensified in to a category two Cyclone on the Australian Tropical Cyclone Scale whilst remaining at Tropical Storm status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As Cliff moved in to TCWC Wellington's area of responsibility Cliff started to show signs of starting its extra tropical transition so as a result TCWC Wellington issued their final advisory on April 6 on former tropical cyclone Cliff. Cyclone Cliff was responsible for one death. In the wake of the storm, an outbreak of typhoid and leptospirosis infected 99 people and killed three across Fiji.[3]
Contents
Meteorological history
Storm path
Early on April 1, 2007 RSMC Nadi reported that a tropical disturbance had formed about 210 km (130 mi) to the southwest of Rotuma. Over the next few days the disturbance remained weak as it moved towards the southwest before it was designated as Tropical Depression 14F early on February 3 despite the system being sheared with convection displaced from the low level circulation center.
Preparations
Fiji
Early on April 4 RSMC Nadi started to issue Special Weather Bulletins for Fiji on Tropical Depression 14F.[4] This bulletin contained a Tropical Cyclone Alert for Vanua Levu, Taveuni as well as the Northern Lau Islands.[4] Later that day RSMC Nadi upgraded these alerts to a Cyclone Gale Warning for Eastern Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Naitaubu, Yacata, Kanacea, Vanua Balavu as well as Vatu Vara.[4] The next day RSMC Nadi canceled these warnings as Cliff moved further away from Fiji.[5]
Tonga
Late on April 4 RSMC Nadi started to issue Special Weather Bulletins for Tonga on Tropical Cyclone Cliff.[4] This Bulletin contained a Tropical Cyclone Alert for Tongatapu and Eua Island with a Strong wind warning in force for the rest of central Tonga.[4] Early the next day RSMC Nadi upgraded these Alerts to Cyclone Gale Warnings for Tongatapu and Eua Island with a Strong wind warning in force for the rest of central Tonga. RSMC Nadi then stopped issuing these warnings the next day as Cliff moved away from Tonga.[5]
Impact
Fiji
Cyclone Cliff’s main impact on Fiji was to bring further flooding to the northern parts of Fiji which had been flooded 3 times during the cyclone season already.[6] Cyclone Cliff was also responsible for a landslide which crashed in to a Primary School near Udu Point in the eastern part of Vanua Levu.[7] However the 30 Students inside the school at the time all escaped any serious injuries as they fled to safety.[7]
Cyclone Cliff was also responsible for flooded roads, minor damage to buildings as well as cut water supplies in eastern parts of Vanua Levu as well as on Taveuni Island.[6] The people of Taveuni reported the loss of unaccountable acres of crops as the developing cyclone passed close to the island.[6] Extensive damage was also reported in other parts of the Fijian Archpeigo including damaged crops & Trees as well as roofs being damaged.[7] Cyclone Cliff was also indirectly responsible for one death in Fiji when a woman was swept from a flooded bridge.[7] It is not known how much damage Cyclone Cliff caused.[6]
Tonga
There was no damage reported in Southern Tonga.[6] However the Tonga's Meteorological Service based in Fua’amotu experienced a power failure on April 4 at 2200 UTC.[8] The standby power could not be restored so therefore operations were shifted to the National Emergency Operations Centre in Nukuʻalofa which is the back up for the Met Service.[8] The National Emergency Operations Centre continued to issue cyclone warnings until the threat posed by Cliff had passed. This was despite the met service being able to continue to operate on a mobile generator.[8]
Retirement
During 2008 RSMC Nadi put a request forward to the World Meteorological Organizations, RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee to have the name Cliff retired. This request was accepted with the name being replaced by Chip.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b Gary Padgett. "A Review of the 2006-07 Tropical Cyclone Season". Australian Severe Weather. http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2007/summ2006-2007.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Fiji Islands Climate Summary". RSMC Nadi. http://www.wamis.org/countries/fiji/fiji200704.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ "Three dead in Fiji disease outbreak". New Zealand Herald. April 19, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Tropical Cyclone Advisories on 04-04-07". RSMC Nadi. http://mtarchive.geol.iastate.edu/2007/04/04/text/Severe/Severe_04.txt. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b "Tropical Cyclone Advisories on 05-04-07". RSMC Nadi. http://mtarchive.geol.iastate.edu/2007/04/05/text/Severe/Severe_05.txt. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b c d e "Monthly Global Tropical Cyclone Summary April 2007". Gary Padgett. http://australiasevereweather.com/cyclones/2007/summ0704.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ a b c d "Cyclone Cliff hits Fiji". The Age. 2007-04-05. http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Cyclone-Cliff-hits-Fiji/2007/04/05/1175366373316.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ^ a b c "Review of the 2006-07 & 2007-08 Tropical Cyclone Seasons (Tonga)". World Meteorological Organization. 2008. http://www.wmo.ch/pages/prog/www/tcp/Meetings/RA%20V%20TCC-12/documents/Doc_05-4.doc. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ "Tropical Cyclone names". WMO. http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/tcp/Storm-naming.html. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
External links
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Categories:- Retired South Pacific cyclones
- 2006–07 South Pacific cyclone season
- Tropical cyclones in Fiji
- Tropical cyclones in Tonga
- 2007 in Fiji
- 2007 in Tonga
- Category 2 South Pacific cyclones
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