Tropical Storm Omeka

Tropical Storm Omeka

Tropical storm (SSHWS/NWS)
The predecessor of Tropical Storm Omeka as a subtropical storm on December 19
Formed	December 18, 2010
Dissipated	December 23, 2010
(Extratropical after December 21)
Highest winds	1-minute sustained: 60 mph (95 km/h)
Lowest pressure	997 mbar (hPa); 29.44 inHg
Fatalities	None reported
Damage	None
Areas affected	Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Part of the 2010 Pacific hurricane and 2010 Pacific typhoon seasons

Tropical Storm Omeka was the latest forming Eastern Pacific named storm since reliable records began in the 1960s. The storm was part of the 2010 Pacific typhoon and hurricane season. On December 18, 2010, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) began monitoring a subtropical cyclone near the International Dateline for possible tropical cyclogenesis. Over the following two days, the system tracked southwestward, entering the Western Pacific basin. It then began to transition into a tropical cyclone. Shortly before crossing the dateline on December 20, the CPHC assessed the system to have become a tropical storm. The storm was assigned the name Omeka several hours later as it moved into the CPHC's area of responsibility – which is from 140°W to the International Dateline. Upon doing so, Omeka attained its peak intensity with winds of 60 mph (100 km/h). Later on December 20, wind shear in the region increased, causing the system to weaken. By December 21, the center of Omeka was devoid of convection and dissipated on the next day. Omeka brushed Lisianski Island with no damage.

The origins of Omeka were from an extratropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean. The storm tracked southeastward near the International Dateline, and by December 18 it transitioned into a kona storm and soon into a subtropical cyclone. A large, sprawling system, little development was initially expected to take place as the storm moved towards the southwest. As the low moved over warmer waters, the cyclone was able to maintain an area of deep convection near its center. According to the CPHC, the system was nearly fully tropical early on December 19 as it moved west of the dateline. However, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) considered the low to be fully subtropical as a cold-core was present over the center of circulation. At this time, the storm had an eye-like feature, and attained its peak strength with winds of 60 miles per hour (100 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 997 millibars (29.4 inHg). Later on December 19, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a tropical depression as the low turned towards the southeast. Early on December 20, the JMA issued their final advisory on the depression as it moved east of the dateline and reentered the CPHC's area of responsibility.