Cyclone Winston

Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston

Category 5 severe tropical cyclone (Aus scale)
Category 5 (Saffir–Simpson scale)
Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston at peak intensity near Fiji on 20 February
Formed	7 February 2016
Dissipated	3 March 2016
Highest winds	10-minute sustained: 230 km/h (145 mph) 1-minute sustained: 285 km/h (180 mph)
Lowest pressure	915 hPa (mbar); 27.02 inHg
Fatalities	44 total
Damage	$1.4 billion (2016 USD) (Costliest cyclone in South Pacific history)
Areas affected	Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Niue, Queensland
Part of the 2015–16 South Pacific cyclone season and 2015–16 Australian region cyclone season

Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Fiji and the South Pacific Basin in recorded history. Winston also remains to be the costliest tropical cyclone in South Pacific history. The system was first noted as a tropical disturbance on 7 February 2016, when it was located to the northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu. Over the next few days, the system gradually developed as it moved southeast, acquiring gale-force winds by 11 February. The following day, it underwent rapid intensification and attained ten-minute maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h (110 mph). Less favourable environmental conditions prompted weakening thereafter. After turning northeast on 14 February, Winston stalled to the north of Tonga on 17 February. Due to a change in higher level steering, the storm drifted back to the west. In the process, Winston again rapidly intensified, reaching Category 5 intensity on both the Australian tropical cyclone scale and the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale on 19 February. The storm passed directly over Vanua Balavu, where a national record wind gust of 306 km/h (190 mph) was observed.

The cyclone reached its peak intensity on 20 February, with ten-minute sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph) and a pressure of 915 hPa (mbar; 27.03 inHg), shortly before making landfall on Viti Levu, Fiji. Thereafter, the storm slowly weakened within a less favourable environment; the system turned southeast during this time, though remained well away from Fiji. It later degenerated into a remnant low, with some subtropical characteristics, on 24 February as it turned to the west and later northwest. The system persisted for more than a week over the Coral Sea before ultimately moving over Queensland, Australia, and dissipating on 3 March, 26 days after being classified a tropical disturbance.