2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season
| 2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season |
Season summary map
|
| Seasonal boundaries |
| First system formed |
July 29, 2015 |
| Last system dissipated |
April 27, 2016 |
| Strongest storm |
|
| Name |
Winston |
| • Maximum winds |
230 km/h (145 mph)
(10-minute sustained) |
| • Lowest pressure |
915 hPa (mbar) |
| Seasonal statistics |
| Total disturbances |
18 |
| Total depressions |
11 |
| Tropical cyclones |
8 |
| Severe tropical cyclones |
5 |
| Total fatalities |
50 total |
| Total damage |
$1.405 billion (2016 USD) |
| Related articles |
|
|
South Pacific tropical cyclone seasons
2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
|
| Tropical depression (Australian scale) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
July 29 – August 4 |
| Peak intensity |
65 km/h (40 mph) (1-min) 1000 hPa (mbar) |
| Tropical depression (Australian scale) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
October 12 – October 18 |
| Peak intensity |
45 km/h (30 mph) (10-min) 1001 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
November 23 – December 2 |
| Peak intensity |
75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min) 991 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Category 4 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
December 26 – January 12 |
| Peak intensity |
185 km/h (115 mph) (10-min) 945 hPa (mbar) |
| Tropical depression (Australian scale) |
|
|
| Duration |
December 28 – January 1 |
| Peak intensity |
Winds not specified 995 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
January 10 – January 24 |
| Peak intensity |
150 km/h (90 mph) (10-min) 960 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Category 5 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
February 7 – February 25 |
| Peak intensity |
230 km/h (145 mph) (10-min) 915 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 1 tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Tropical storm (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
February 23 – February 26 |
| Peak intensity |
75 km/h (45 mph) (10-min) 993 hPa (mbar) |
| Category 3 severe tropical cyclone (Australian scale) |
| Category 2 tropical cyclone (SSHWS) |
|
|
| Duration |
April 4 – April 7 |
| Peak intensity |
130 km/h (80 mph) (10-min) 975 hPa (mbar) |
The 2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season was one of the most disastrous South Pacific tropical cyclone seasons on record, with a total of 50 deaths and $1.405 billion (2016 USD) in damage. It marked the period of the year when most tropical cyclones form within the South Pacific Ocean to the east of 160°E. The season officially ran from November 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016, however a tropical cyclone could form at any time between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 and would count towards the season total. During the season, tropical cyclones are officially monitored by the Fiji Meteorological Service and the Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService). Other warning centres like the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) will also monitor the basin. The FMS and MetService both use the Australian Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale and estimate wind speeds over a period of ten minutes, while the JTWC estimated sustained winds over a 1-minute period, which are subsequently compared to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS).
After the occurrences of Tropical Cyclone Raquel and Tropical Depression 01F during July and August 2015, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) noted that the ongoing 2014–16 El Niño event, might mean that more tropical cyclones occur in the basin than usual during the season. It was also noted that during previous El Nino episodes the season started early, with systems developing before the start of the season on November 1. As a result, the FMS expected the tropical cyclone season to start during October 2015. During September 24, Meteo France announced that there was a 90% chance of either a moderate tropical storm, severe tropical storm or tropical cyclone, impacting the waters surrounding French Polynesia during the season. Ahead of the cyclone season, the FMS, the BoM, Meteo France, New Zealand's MetService and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and various other Pacific Meteorological services, all contributed towards the Island Climate Update tropical cyclone outlook that was released during October 2015.
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