| Basin: | SPac |
| Year: | 2001 |
| Track: | 2000-2001 South Pacific cyclone season summary.png |
| First Storm Formed: | December 11, 2000 |
| Last Storm Dissipated: | May 9, 2001 |
| Strongest Storm Name: | Paula |
| Strongest Storm Pressure: | 930 |
| Strongest Storm Winds: | 95 |
| Average Wind Speed: | 10 |
| Total Disturbances: | 16 |
| Total Depressions: | 11 |
| Total Hurricanes: | 4 |
| Total Intense: | 1 |
| Fatalities: | 7 total |
| Damages: | .8 |
| Five Seasons: | 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 |
| Australian Season: | 2000–01 Australian region cyclone season |
| South Indian Season: | 2000–01 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season |
The 2000–01 South Pacific cyclone season was an event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation. It began on November 1, 2000, and ended on April 30, 2001. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the southern Pacific 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 from July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2001.[1]
Tropical cyclones between 160°E and 120°W and north of 25°S are monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service in Nadi. Those that move south of 25°S are monitored by the Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre in Wellington, New Zealand.[1]
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During the 2000–01 South Pacific cyclone season, only four tropical cyclones and one severe tropical cyclone formed. Compared to an average season, which generally features nine tropical cyclones and four to five severe tropical cyclones, the 2000–01 season was substantially below average. The season itself began unusually late, with the first system developing on February 20;[2] however, according to the JTWC, a brief tropical storm existed between February 16 and 18.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Type: | spdepression |
| Track: | 01F 2000 track.png |
| Formed: | December 11 |
| Dissipated: | December 15 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 35 |
| Pressure: | 993 |
Two people were killed in Fiji as a result of severe flooding.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Track: | 10-P 2001 track.png |
| Formed: | February 16 (entered basin) |
| Dissipated: | February 18 |
| 1-Min Winds: | 35 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 30 |
| Pressure: | 993 |
A brief tropical storm was monitored by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center just off the northern coast of New Caledonia.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Track: | Oma 2001 track.png |
| Formed: | February 20 |
| Dissipated: | February 22 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 50 |
| 1-Min Winds: | 45 |
| Pressure: | 984 |
Cyclone Oma formed on February 20, dissipated on February 22.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Track: | Paula 2001 track.png |
| Formed: | February 26 |
| Dissipated: | March 4 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 95 |
| 1-Min Winds: | 105 |
| Pressure: | 930 |
See main article: Cyclone Paula.
Formed on February 26, dissipated on March 4.
Three people were killed by the storm, two in Vanuatu and one in Fiji.[3] On Vanuatu, sustained winds reached 100km/h and gusts were estimated at 200km/h. Initial reports indicated that a young boy had been swept away near Santo and was presumed dead.[4] However, the boy was found days later clinging to a rock. The two fatalities in the country resulted from fallen tree limbs on the islands of Epi and Ambae.[5] Following an aerial assessment of damage in Vanuatu, Malampa and Shefa provinces in were declared disaster areas. In these provinces, nearly 50% of all homes sustained damage and upwards of a quarter of all buildings were impacted. In Fiji, damage from Paula was much less than initially feared; however, several homes in the Western Division were destroyed by rough seas produced by the storm. Elsewhere, structural damage was minimal and a few landslides resulted in damage to crops. Throughout the country, preliminary estimates placed the damage at US$800,000.[6]
Following the storm, requests for assistance from the French government were made by Vanuatu. By March 5, a package of relief supplies, consisting of blankets, water purifiers and clothes was brought to the storm-battered nation.[7]
| Basin: | SPac |
| Track: | Rita 2001 track.png |
| Formed: | February 27 |
| Dissipated: | March 5 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 45 |
| 1-Min Winds: | 40 |
| Pressure: | 986 |
On February 27, RSMC Nadi reported that Tropical Disturbance had developed within the South Pacific Convergence Zone to the southeast of the French Polynesian island Hao about 705 mi (1135 km) to the southeast of Papeete.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Type: | spdepression |
| Formed: | March 1 |
| Dissipated: | March 3 |
This depression existed from March 1 to March 3.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Type: | spdepression |
| Formed: | March 1 |
| Dissipated: | March 3 |
This depression existed from March 1 to March 3.
See main article: Cyclone Sose.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Track: | Sose 2001 track.png |
| Formed: | April 5 |
| Dissipated: | April 11 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 60 |
| 1-Min Winds: | 70 |
| Pressure: | 975 |
Formed on April 5, dissipated on April 11.
| Basin: | SPac |
| Type: | spdepression |
| Formed: | May 1 |
| Dissipated: | May 3 |
| 10-Min Winds: | 40 |
| Pressure: | 1004 |
See also: List of off-season South Pacific tropical cyclones. Formed on May 1, dissipated on May 3.
The following weak tropical disturbances/depressions were also monitored by RSMC Nadi, however these systems were either short lived or did not develop significantly. On December 18, RSMC Nadi started to monitor Tropical Depression 03F, to the southeast of Tahiti in French Polynesia.
On May 7, Depression 15F developed about 475round=5NaNround=5 to the west of Papeete on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.[8] Over the next couple of days the depression moved south-eastwards, before the final advisory was issued by RSMC Nadi on May 9.[8]
This table lists all the storms that developed in the South Pacific to the east of longitude 160°E during the 2001–2002 season. It includes their intensity on the Australian Tropical cyclone intensity scale, duration, name, landfalls, deaths, and damages. All data is taken from RSMC Nadi and or TCWC Wellington. The Damage figures are all 2002 USD.
|-| || December 11–15 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#|65 km/h (40 mph) || bgcolor=#| || Fiji || None || 2 |||-| || December 18–19 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || February 16–18 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || February 20–22 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Cook Islands || Minor || None |||-| || February 26 – March 4 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga || || 2 |||-| || February 27 – March 5 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || March 1–3 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || March 1–3 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || March 10 || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Australia || || 4 ||[9] |-| || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-| || || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || bgcolor=#| || || || |||-