Cyclone Pam
| Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale) | |
|---|---|
| Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale) | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam over Vanuatu and nearing peak intensity on March 13
|
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| Formed | March 6, 2015 |
| Dissipated | March 20, 2015 |
| (Extratropical after March 15) | |
| Highest winds |
10-minute sustained: 250 km/h (155 mph) 1-minute sustained: 280 km/h (175 mph) |
| Lowest pressure | 896 hPa (mbar); 26.46 inHg |
| Fatalities | 15–16 total |
| Damage | $360.4 million (2015 USD) |
| Areas affected | |
| Part of the 2014–15 South Pacific cyclone season | |
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the most intense tropical cyclone of the south Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total of 15–16 people lost their lives either directly or indirectly as a result of Pam with many others injured. The storm's impacts were also felt, albeit to a lesser extent, to other islands in the South Pacific, most notably the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and New Zealand. Pam is the second most intense storm of the South Pacific Ocean according to pressure, after Zoe of 2002; Pam is also the third most intense storm in the Southern Hemisphere by the same metric, only after Zoe of 2002 and Gafilo in 2004. In addition, Pam had the highest 10-minute sustained wind speed of any South Pacific tropical cyclone; it is tied with Cyclone Orson, Cyclone Monica and Cyclone Fantala for having the strongest winds of any cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere. Thousands of homes, schools and buildings were damaged or destroyed, with an estimated 3,300 people displaced as a result.
Pam formed on March 6, east of the Solomon Islands and tracked slowly in a generally southward direction, slowly intensifying as it did so. Two days later, the disturbance reached tropical cyclone intensity and, over subsequent days, Pam gradually strengthened before reaching Category 5 cyclone status on both the Australian and Saffir–Simpson scales on March 12. The next day, Pam's sustained winds peaked at 250 km/h (155 mph) as the storm moved through Vanuatu, passing near several constituent islands and making direct hits on others. On March 14, Pam's winds began to slowly weaken, but its pressure dropped further to a minimum of 896 mbar (hPa; 26.46 inHg) before rising shortly afterwards. Over the next few days, the cyclone's weakening accelerated as it moved poleward. On March 15, Pam passed northeast of New Zealand before transitioning into an extratropical cyclone that same day.
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Wikipedia