Pre-1900 South Pacific cyclone seasons explained

Basin:SPac
Year:Pre 1900
First Storm Formed:February 1568
Last Storm Dissipated:April 12, 1900
Total Disturbances:174
Fatalities:1000+
Five Seasons:Pre-1900, 1900–1940, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s
Australian Season:List of Australian region cyclones before 1900
South Indian Season:List of South-West Indian Ocean cyclones before 1900

The following is a list of all reported tropical cyclones within the South Pacific Ocean, to the east of 160°E, before 1900.

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Background

Ancient Polynesians and others who inhabited the tropical Pacific before the Europeans arrived, knew of and feared the hurricanes of the South Pacific.[1] They were keen and accurate observers of nature and developed various myths and legends, which reflected their knowledge of these systems.[1] For example, the people of Mangaia in the Cook Islands Islands had over 30 different names for the wind direction including Maoaketa, which indicated that a cyclonic storm existed to the west of the island.[1] During the 1700s, Captain James Cook conducted three voyages within the Pacific Ocean and it is thought that he didn't collect any information about or experience any tropical cyclones.[1] Europeans that followed Cook soon realised that the South Pacific was not free of hurricanes and were the first to publish accounts about the systems.[1]

During 1853, Thomas Dobson became the first person to collate information about these systems, in order to attempt to understand and explain the characteristics of 24 tropical cyclones.[1] However, these descriptions were considered to be vague and of little value, because he only had a small amount of data and no synoptic weather charts.[1] Over the next 40 years various reports, journals and log books on the storms were published before E Knipping consolidated these reports and extended Dobson's list out to 120 tropical cyclones during 1893.[1] During the 1920s Stephen Sargent Visher did some research into tropical cyclones in the Pacific and visited several island nations; including Fiji, Japan and the Philippines to obtain information on potential systems.[2] He also consulted various journals and reports as well as Dobson's and Knipping's work, before he authored a number of papers on tropical cyclones in the Pacific. These papers contained information about 259 tropical storms in the South Pacific between 160°E and 140°W, two of which occurred during 1789 and 1819, while the rest occurred between 1830 and 1923.[1] Visher also tried to estimate how many systems were occurring on an annual basis in each area, but overcompensated for his incomplete records and came up with a figure of 12 severe tropical cyclones per year.[1] [2] During Visher's time and until the start of World War II, there was insufficient information available to allow for an accurate deception of tropical cyclone tracks.[1]

Systems

Pre 1830s

1830s

1840s

1850s

1860s

1870s

1880s

1890s

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in the Southwest Pacific: November 1939 to May 1969 . Kerr, Ian S . March 1, 1976 . live . August 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413142735/http://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/nzmsmp148.pdf . April 13, 2014 . 23–28 .
  2. Visher, Stephen Sargent. Tropical Cyclones in Australia and the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. 50. 6. 288–295. Monthly Weather Review. June 1922. 10.1175/1520-0493(1922)50<288:TCIAAT>2.0.CO;2. 1922MWRv...50..288V. free.
  3. Book: Radford, Deirdre A . Blong, Russell J . The Australian International Development Assistance Bureau . Natural Disasters in the Solomon Islands. Cyclones in the Solomon Islands . May 2, 2014 . dead . 2 . 1 . 1992 . July 6, 2013 . 125–126 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140502075901/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/SLB_Nat_Disasters_v1_1992_s.pdf.pdf .
  4. Historical Tropical Cyclone Activity and Impacts in the Cook Islands. 2008. De Scally, Fes A. Pacific Science. 62. 4. 443–459. 10.2984/1534-6188(2008)62[443:HTCAAI]2.0.CO;2 . 10125/22721 . 198148871 . 0030-8870. free.
  5. Book: [{{Google Books URL|id=FThPAAAAQBAJ}} Furious Winds and Parched Islands: Tropical Cyclones (1558–1970) and Droughts (1722–1987) in the Pacific ]. d'Aubert, AnaMaria . Nunn, Patrick D . 978-1-4691-7008-4 . Database 1: Tropical Cyclones (1558–1970). March 2012 . 58–171.
  6. Book: Bulletin 20: Tropical Cyclones of the Pacific. 1925. 37–38. Visher, Stephen Sargent. Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Hurricanes in the Western South Pacific.
  7. Bulletin de la Société des Études Océaniennes. Teissier, Raoul. Les cyclones en Polynésie française: Liste des Cyclones Qui Ont Sévi En Polynésie française (1825-1966). 166–167. Cyclones in French Polynesia: List of Cyclone that happened in French Polynesia (1825–1966).
  8. Book: Basher, Reid. Collen, Bronwen. Fitzharris, Blair. Hay, John. Mullan, Brett. Salinger, Jim. 51. [ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/PhD/Papers/Scanned_Papers/Preliminary%20Studies%20for%20South%20Pacific%20Climate%20Change%20-%20NZ%20Met%20Service%20-%20Basher%20et%20al%201992.pdf Preliminary Studies for South Pacific Climate Change]. Appendix 4: Tropical Cyclones affecting the Southwest Pacific 1830–1989. The New Zealand Meteorological Service. April 1992. 047707345X.
  9. Information Sheet No. 125: List of Floods }} in the Fiji Islands: 1840 – 2000]. Fiji Meteorological Service. Gosai, Ashmita. Motilal, Simon. August 15, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20120422154924/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/FJI_MET_2001_floods1840_2000.pdf. April 22, 2012. dead. August 5, 2019.
  10. Flooding in the Fiji Islands between 1840 and 2009. Risk Frontiers. Yeo, Stephen W. October 1, 2010. July 27, 2014. live. McGree, Simon. March 16, 2014. Devi, Swastika. 41. https://web.archive.org/web/20140316104935/http://www.riskfrontiers.com/RFfrontimages/Floods%20in%20Fiji%201840-2009%20-%20Risk%20Frontiers%20final.pdf.
  11. Autour De La Saison 1982–1983 Des Perturbations Tropicales En Polynésie Française. Around the 1982–1983 Season of Tropical Disturbances in French Polynesia . Météorologie Maritime . 120 . 14–30 . 2107-0830.
  12. Book: [ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/PhD/Papers/Scanned_Papers/TCs%20in%20New%20Caledonia%20from%201852-1951.pdf Les cyclones tropicaux en Nouvelle-Calédonie au cours d'un siècle (1852–1951)]. Giovannelli, J . April 1952. Nouméa Service Météorologique . Tropical Cyclones in New Caledonia over a Century (1852–1951).
  13. Information Sheet No. 27: Tropical cyclones affecting Fiji: 1840 – 1923. Fiji Meteorological Service. Gabites, John Fletcher. May 17, 1978.
  14. ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/PhD/Resources/French%20Polynesia/C1_1878_C.txt
  15. Web site: Climatologie des cyclones: Phénomènes ayant le plus durement touché la Nouvelle-Calédonie: De 1880 à nos jours. Meteo France New Caledonia. December 5, 2019. fr. Climatologie des cyclones: Phenomena that have hit New Caledonia the hardest from 1880 to the present day.
  16. McLean, R.F.. Munro, Doug . Late 19th Century Tropical Storms and Hurricanes in Tuvalu. South Pacific Journal of Natural Science. 11. 203–219.
  17. Book: Laurent, Victoire. Varney, Patrick. Meteo France. Historique des Cyclones de Polynesie Francaise. 2014 . French. 978-2-9522946-1-4. 86–90. History of Cyclones in French Polynesia.