Cyclone Olaf
| Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Cyclone Olaf near peak intensity
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| Formed | February 10, 2005 |
| Dissipated | February 25, 2005 |
| (Extratropical after February 20, 2005) | |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 215 km/h (130 mph) 1-minute sustained: 270 km/h (165 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 915 hPa (mbar); 27.02 inHg |
| Fatalities | 0 direct, 2 missing |
| Damage | $10.0 million (2005 USD) |
| Areas affected | Samoa, American Samoa, Cook Islands |
| Part of the 2004–05 South Pacific cyclone season | |
Cyclone Olaf was the sixth cyclone to form in the Southwest Pacific Ocean during the 2004–05 South Pacific cyclone season. Olaf was also one of three simultaneous cyclones to form during the 2004–05 season, forming 21 hours after Cyclone Nancy formed to the east. A powerful Category 5 cyclone, Olaf stuck American Samoa causing heavy damage although exact estimates are unknown. Despite the damage, there were no reported deaths or injuries from the cyclone. Olaf was third South Pacific cyclone to hit the Cook Islands during the 2004–05 season (the other two being Meena and Nancy), and Cyclone Percy would later affect the already devastated archipelago less than 2 weeks later.
The origins of Olaf were from a broad area of low pressure, that had developed between the island nation of Tuvalu and the Samoan Islands by February 10. This area of low pressure, subsequently spawned two tropical disturbances during February 10. The first disturbance: 09F was located, to the north-northeast of Samoa and later developed into Severe Tropical Cyclone Nancy. The second was designated as Tropical Disturbance 08F by the Fiji Meteorological Service, while it was located about 925 km (575 mi) to the northeast of Fiji.
A tropical wave formed on February 10. The tropical wave, then spawned two areas of low pressure, one of which became Tropical Depression 08F. At 1300 UTC, the tropical depression was located 490 miles north west of Apia. By 1500, the depression organized into a tropical storm with 40 mph wind and was named Olaf. At the time of formation, the tropical storm was nearly stationary. The low wind shear and warm water temperatures allowed Olaf to undergo rapid intensification. In a 12‑hour period, Olaf quickly became a Category 1 cyclone with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds in a 10 minute average speed. On February 15, the barometric pressure fell to 930 mbar as Olaf reached Category 4 status. After reaching Category 4 status, Olaf then moved on a south-southeasterly course at 7 mph (11 km/h).
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