Cyclone Ivy
| Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 3 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Ivy near peak intensity
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| Formed | February 21, 2004 |
| Dissipated | February 28, 2004 |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 165 km/h (105 mph) 1-minute sustained: 195 km/h (120 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 935 hPa (mbar); 27.61 inHg |
| Fatalities | 4 reported |
| Damage | $3.8 million (2004 USD) |
| Areas affected | Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and New Zealand |
| Part of the 2003–04 South Pacific cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Ivy (Fiji Meteorological Service designation: 05F, Joint Typhoon Warning Center designation: 13P) was a tropical cyclone that affected about 25% of the population of Vanuatu in February 2004. It was first classified as a tropical disturbance on February 21 between Vanuatu and Fiji. The system tracked northwestward, gradually organizing and intensifying. After attaining tropical storm status on February 23, Ivy strengthened more quickly as it turned southwestward toward Vanuatu. It attained peak winds of 165 km/h (105 mph) while moving over Vanuatu, making it an intense Category 4 cyclone on the Australian Region Tropical Cyclone Intensity Scale. By the time it passed through Vanuatu, Ivy had turned southeastward, and it gradually weakened while accelerating. After becoming extratropical on February 28, it passed just east of New Zealand and eventually dissipated on March 2.
The third significant cyclone in 14 months to affect the region, Ivy produced heavy rainfall and high winds in Vanuatu. Due to advance warning, only two people were killed, and several people were injured. The high winds damaged about 11,000 houses, leaving many people homeless. The cyclone passed very close to the Vanuatu capital city of Port Vila, forcing the evacuation of about 2,000 people and shutting down the main port. Cyclone Ivy also affected the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia with rainfall, and later it produced high waves in New Zealand that killed two people. Because of its severe damage on Vanuatu, the name Ivy was retired following its usage.
In the middle of February 2004, a monsoon trough formed in the southwest Pacific Ocean during the middle of a Madden–Julian oscillation pulse. A low pressure area developed along the trough, and the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) designated it Tropical Disturbance 5F on February 21 about halfway between Vanuatu and Fiji. Initially, the system was moving little and had a circulation that was detached from the primary area of convection. On February 22 after the thunderstorms increased, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories on the disturbance with the designation Tropical Cyclone 13P. Shortly thereafter, the FMS reported that the disturbance developed into a tropical depression, although the convection was transient and displaced from the circulation. The system tracked west-northwestward, due to a ridge located to its south. With low wind shear and good outflow, the system gradually organized, with the circulation becoming situated underneath the convection. At 0300 UTC on February 23, the FMS upgraded it to a tropical cyclone and gave it the name Ivy while the storm was about 510 km (315 mi) northeast of Port Vila, Vanuatu.
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