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User:Jason Rees/Samoa TC's

< User:Jason Rees

Background edit

Climatology edit

List of wettest tropical cyclones in the Samoan Islands.
Precipitation Storm Location Ref.
Rank mm in
1 508.2 20.01 Tuni 2015 Afiamalu, Upolu [1]
2 472.4 18.60 Unnamed 1966 Vaipito, Tutuila [2]
3 470.5 18.52 Ula 2016 Afiamalu, Upolu [1]
4 445.5 17.54 Val 1991 Pago Pago Airport, Tutuila [2]
5 404.0 15.91 Evan 2012 Alaoa, Upolu [3]
6 394.7 15.54 Ofa 1990 Aasufou, Tutuila [2]
7 382.4 15.06 Amos 2016 Afiamalu, Upolu [1]
8 359.9 14.17 Heta 2004 Aasufou, Tutuila [2]
9 320.0 12.60 Gita 2018 Le-Pue, Upolu [4]
10 254.5 10.02 Olaf 2005 Aasufou, Tutuila [2]

Systems edit

  • December 20 – 24, 1831 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan Islands and the Southern Cook Islands.[5][6]
  • 1836 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan Islands.[5]
  • December 29, 1839 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa.[6]
  • December 16 – 17, 1840 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and the Cook Islands.[6]
  • December 15 – 18, 1842 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa, where bananas and breadfruits were blown down, trees were uprooted and houses damaged.[5]
  • March 16 – 17, 1846 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and the Cook Islands.[5]
  • April 1848 – A tropical cyclone impacted American Samoa.[5]
  • December 24, 1848 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Cook Islands, Samoa and French Polynesia.[5]
  • April 4 -7, 1850 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and American Samoa, with severe damage to houses, coconut and breadfruit trees was reported on the island of Tutuila. Two ships and a schooner were wrecked at Apia, while a landslide from a mountain buried and killed three people.[5]
  • April 1855 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan island of Upolu, where eight European vessels were wrecked.[5]
  • January 10 – 15, 1863 – A tropical cyclone was located to the southeast of Apia in Samoa.[5]
  • January 25 – February 3, 1865 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and the Southern Cook Islands.[5]
  • January 12, 1869 – A tropical cyclone was located to the southwest of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • January 31, 1869 – A tropical cyclone was located to the north of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • March 6 – 7, 1869 – A tropical cyclone was located to the west of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • March 16 – 17, 1869 – A tropical cyclone was located to the southwest of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • January 1870 – A tropical cyclone devestated the Samoan island of Upolu.[5]
  • January 1870 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan island of Tutuila.[5]
  • November 15 – 21, 1875 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.[5]
  • December 24 – 25, 1875 – A tropical cyclone existed in between Samoa and French Polynesia.[5]
  • January 22, 1877 – A tropical cyclone existed to the southwest of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • March 14 – 20, 1877 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa and Tonga.[5]
  • April 3, 1877 - A tropical cyclone existed to the southwest of Apia, Samoa.[5]
  • March 3 – 9, 1879 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan and Tongan islands.[5]
  • March 24 – 25, 1883 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan Islands of Upolu and Savaii.[5]
  • January 15, 1885 – A tropical cyclone was located to the southwest of Samoa.[5]
  • January 6, 1886 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan island of Upolu.[5]
  • February 9 – 18, 1889 – A tropical cyclone impacted Wallis and Futuna, Samoa and the Cook Islands.[5]
  • March 7 – 8, 1889 – A tropical cyclone impacted Samoa.[5]
  • March 13 – 19, 1889 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan islands and killed 147 people.[5]
  • January 13, 1890 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan island of Upolu.[5]
  • November 18, 1890 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan island of Upolu.[5]
  • December 24, 1890 – January 6, 1891 – A tropical cyclone impacted Fiji, after moving south-southwest from the Samoan Islands.[7]

>1939 edit

  • December 26, 1939 – A tropical cyclone impacted the Samoan Islands.[6]
  • 1966 - 18.60 - Vaipito, American Samoa [2]

>1970 edit

  • Dolly
  • Helen
  • Unnamed
  • Collette
  • December 30, 1972 - January 5, 1973 - Elenore.[8]
  • Unnamed
  • Val
  • Kim
  • Laurie
  • Charles
  • Leslie
  • Meli
  • Ofa
  • Val

1980 edit

  • Arthur
  • Betsy
  • Daman
  • Esau - 8.35 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2]
  • February 4 - 5, 1982 - A developing tropical cyclone existed to the west of the Samoan Islands and caused flooding as well as widespread damage throughout Samoa.[9]
  • Unnamed
  • Isaac
  • Tomasi
  • Unnamed
  • Drena
  • Ima
  • Tusi - 3.17 - Afono, American Samoa.[2]
  • Wini
  • Zuman
  • Fili
  • Gina
  • Kerry

1990 edit

  • Ofa - 15.54 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2][10]
  • February 7, 1990 - An unnamed tropical cyclone passed well to the west of Samoa, but caused strong northerly winds over the islands.[10]
  • March 26, 1990 - Tropical Cyclone Rae "probably" generated waves of up to 4 metres (13 ft), as it passed well to the south of the islands.[11]
  • Val - 17.54, Pago Pago WSO AP, American Samoa.[2]
  • March 13 - 15, 1992 - Tropical Cyclone Gene's precursor tropical depression developed to the north of Samoa and moved southeastwards just to the east of the islands.[12] Strong southerly winds associated with the depression caused minor wind damage, to areas that had been impacted by Severe Tropical Cyclone Val a few months earlier.[12]
  • January 4, 1993 - Severe Tropical Cyclone Nina passed just to the south of Samoa, with damage reported to roofs, bananas and breadfruit.[13]
  • January 30 - February 1, 1993 - Tropical Cyclone Lin formed to the northwest of Samoa and moved south-southeastwards over Savaii during January 31.[13]
  • Mick
  • Nina
  • Evan
  • January 1 - 5, 1998 - Severe Tropical Cyclone Ron impacted the islands, with a peak wind gust of 60 km/h (37 mph) and a rainfall total of 63.7 mm (2.51 in) reported at WSO Tafuna.[14] Ron also impacted Swains Island during January 2, where it was estimated by a fisherman, that hurricane force winds of 130–140 km/h (81–87 mph) impacted the island.[14] Most of the residential houses on the island were destroyed, with the exception of several concrete buildings which survived the strong winds.[14] There were a few minor injuries reported on Swains, however, there were no injuries or damages reported from any of the other Samoan Islands.[14]
  • January 24 - 26, 1998 - Tropical Cyclone Tui passed over the eastern part of the island of Savai'i, where it produced heavy rain and tropical-storm-force winds of 75–100 km/h (47–62 mph).[15] The system was responsible for relatively minor damage to the island, with large crop losses and infrastructure damage reported as well as one death.[15][16] A peak wind gust of 77 km/h (48 mph) was recorded at the Tafuna Weather Station in American Samoa during January 25, however, there was no damage reported in the territory.[14]
  • December 20 - 21, 1998 - High winds and heavy rain associated with Severe Tropical Cyclone Cora's precursor tropical depression prompted the cancellation of inter-island flights between the Samoan Islands.[17]

2000 edit

  • Mona
  • 08F
  • Waka
  • Fili
  • Cilla - 2.21 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2]
  • Heta - 14.17 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2]
  • February 3 - 6, 2005 - Swells of 5–7 feet (1.5–2.1 m) generated by Severe Tropical Cyclone Meena to the far east of Tutuila, produced surf heights of 10–14 feet (3.0–4.3 m) along Tutuila and Manu'a.[18]


  • Nancy
  • Olaf - 10.02 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2]
  • Percy - 1.20 - Aasufou, American Samoa.[2]
  • Rae
  • Sheila
  • Tam
  • Urmil
  • Vaianu
  • Wati
  • Arthur
  • Daman

2010 edit

  • January 26 - 27, 2010 - Tropical Cyclone Nisha passed about 175 mi (280 km) to the southeast of Tutuila and caused heavy rainfall, hazardous surf and gale force winds across the Samoan Islands.[19] On the island of Tutuila, several homes were flooded in Pago Pago and Fagaitua, while mudslides, broken tree branches and debris were found on the main road.[19]
  • February 11 - 13, 2010 - Severe Tropical Cyclone Rene damaged crops and agricultural goods in the Manu'a Islands, while heavy rainfall associated with the system caused landslides and mudslides over Tutuila.[20]
  • January 22- 24, 2011 - Wilma Tropical cyclone Wilma generated destructive waves and strong winds across American Samoa, and the eye of the storm moved over Tutuila a few hours after sunrise Sunday morning. Beach erosion and runoff were observed along the west, north and northeast facing reefs. Maximum winds of 41G59 mph were recorded at the Weather Service office and maximum winds of 58G81 mph were recorded at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) on Cape Matatula of Tutuila. Strong winds sustained damages to several homes and knocked life-sized trees to fall on a couple of businesses and homes on Tutuila. There were noticeable landslides on Tutuila. The lowest recorded pressure at the Weather Service office was 985 mb at 231954 UTC. From January 22 to 24, the Weather Service office received 9.56 inches of rainfall. No fatalities or injuries reported.[21]
  • December 11 - 13, 2012 - Cyclone Evan made landfall on Upolu on 12/2100Z. Evan was a Category 1 hurricane, and over 10 lives were claimed mainly during flash flooding. People were swept into the strong currents of the flooded rivers and streams, and vehicles were severelydamaged by strong winds and tornadoes. American Samoa was spared from this episode. Only a few downed banana trees were reported along the west side of Tutuila,and strong gusts of 58 mph was recorded at the Weather Service Office on 12/2151Z. No other damages or injuries reported
  • March 22 - 24, 2013 - Tropical Cyclone Garry developed from the west of the date line before it gained strength to become a Tropical Depression09F. TC Garry moved slightly to the north of Tutuila and Manua between 22/0000Z and 24/2000Z, and it has generated stronggale force winds and high seas especially along the north facing reefs of these warned territories. Downed banana trees werereported, with little to no damages along the north facing coast of Tutuila and Manua. Due to the lack of data and observationsduring TC Garry, the Weather Service Office recorded a sustained wind of 33 mph with gusts at 44 mph on 22/1255Z. Noinjuries reported
  • November 23 - 26, 2014 - 01F
  • December 23 - 29, 2014 - 05F
  • January 27 - 30, 2015 - 08F
  • November 23 - December 2, 2015 - Tropical Cyclone Tuni uprooted trees, damaged plantations, and blew a couple of roofs of shacks and garages across American Samoa. A maximum sustained wind of 56 mph was recorded near 2,500 feet while a maximum sustained wind of 53 mph was reported from Siufaga Ridge in Tututila. There were no fatalities or injuries reported. Tropical Storm force winds damaged plantations, blew roofs of a couple shacks and garages, and uprooted banyan and breadfruit trees in Tututila.
  • December 26, 2015 - January 12, 2016 - Ula
  • January 10 - 24, 2016 - Storm surge, swells and surf associated with Severe Tropical Cyclone Victor impacted American Samoa. - Hurricane Victor generated dangerous swells and surfs...and storm surges that have impacted the shores of American Samoa. The storm surge damaged homes and personal properties in low-lying areas near the shores. Also, the storm surge triggered coastal erosion mainly along the east and south facing shorelines of Tutuila. The power-line, rock-walls, family yards and a private boat ramp were damaged in the Nuuuli/Coconut-Point beach area. There was no injury or fatality reported. Monstrous swells and storm surge generated by Hurricane Victor thrashed the coastlines of American Samoa...especially along the east...south and west facing reefs. Hazardous surfs peaked to 25 feet during Friday night and Saturday, however, resident on Tutuila and Manu'a observed several threatening sights of storm surges, coastal inundations and coastal erosions.
  • April 13 - 25, 2016 - Hurricane Amos passed near American Samoa during the early morning hours on the 23rd of April. The strongest wind speed and highest gusts were reported from the NOAA ESRL in Matatula, with winds peaking to near 65 MPH Gusts 74 MPH. Several residents on Tutuila self-evacuated their families to avoid storm surge and coastal inundation. There were downed plantations, fallen trees and damaged outdoor kitchens reported from the village of Fitiuta in Manu'a. The south-facing shores of all Islands were heavily impacted by strong swells and dangerous surfs, and coastal erosion was noticeable along the Nuuuli/Coconut Point which impacted the road forcing motorists to drive on only one lane. No injuries or fatalities reported.
  • December 23, 2016 - January 1, 2017 - A convergence zone associated with Tropical Depression 05F caused heavy rain and thunderstorms over the archipelago, which lead to severe flooding in low lying areas.[4]
  • February 8 - 13, 2017 - 09F[4]
  • February 17 - 23, 2017 - 12 & 14F
  • April 4 - 7, 2017 - 19F[4]
  • May 9 - 12, 2017 - Ella[4]
  • December 16 - 19, 2017 - Tropical Disturbances 02F and 03F formed within a monsoon trough, just to the south-west of Samoa.[22] They both moved south-eastwards to the south of Fiji and dissipated, however, the monsoon trough associated with the disturbances caused strong winds and heavy rain over the archipelago.[22][23]
  • February 8 - 11, 2018 - Tropical Cyclone Gita combined with an active monsoon trough generated destructive winds and torrential rainfall between thehours of 4 AM to 2 PM. At the peak of the tropical storm before 8 AM, the Weather Service Office and most of AmericanSamoa loss power. The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Office in Matatula recorded 64 kt gust 85 kt, andthe radiosonde data reported 59 kt around 6 AM. Tropical Cyclone Gita caused widespread damages to homes, private andpersonal properties, government facilities, roads, electrical poles and wires, phone lines, and plantations across AmericanSamoa. About 965 people including children evacuated to 12 shelters on the island of Tutuila. Numerous mudslides, flashflooding in small streams and low-lying areas were results of heavy rainfall. Heavy runoff swept debris and water into homesnear valleys and small streams area. Several banyan trees and most breadfruit trees were uprooted.A cargo shipping boat in Manu'a, Uila o le Sami, sank in Ta'u. Another similar incident occurred where an alia boat sank inFagaitua bay but was later recovered by the owners on the following day. A storm surge up to 2 to 4 feet swept debris over themain road and beach area along the northwest through northeast shores of Tutuila, Aunuu and Manu'a. No fatalities

2020 edit

  • December 23 – 30, 2019 – A monsoon trough associated with Tropical Cyclone Sarai caused strong north-northwest winds In December 2019, an active monsoon trough, coupled with a developing system that evolved into Tropical Cyclone Sarai, prompted the issuance of a High Wind WARNING for American Samoa. Although Tropical Cyclone Sarai passed well southwest to south of American Samoa, the strong north-northeast winds and flooding rain caused downed vegetation and landslides.
  • February 14 – 23, 2020 – An active monsoon trough was near-stationary over the Samoan Islands and spawned Tropical Disturbance 07F, Tropical Disturbance 08F as well as Tropical Cyclone's Vicky and Wasi. In association with these systems,


From the aforementioned systems, the most widespread damage over American Samoa was the strengthening of TD09F to Tropical Cyclone as it migrated southeast. This system damaged homes and caused power outages across the territory when TC Vicky was located about 84 nautical miles Southwest off Tutuila island, with maximum 1-min sustained winds of 40 knots (46mph/74km/h) and gusts reaching 65 knots (75mph/120km/h). It placed at least 300 people in emergency shelters. The coastal inundation washed over homes in the far east village of Onenoa, displacing about 50 people. Flash flooding was widespread, especially as grounds were already saturated from previous days. Numerous trees were downed, and air transportation was suspended due to the closure of the ports. The closure of the airport and seaport was not only due to TC Vicky, but in response to the issuance of a Tropical Storm Watch, as Tropical Depression TD10F was forecast to quickly strengthen and become Tropical Cyclone Wasi.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "2014-2015 & 2015 - 2016 Seasonal Review" (PDF). Samoa Meteorological Division. September 12, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Roth, David M. (January 3, 2023). "Tropical Cyclone Point Maxima". Tropical Cyclone Rainfall Data. United States Weather Prediction Center. Retrieved January 6, 2023.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Jones, Rick; Ready, Steve (August 17, 2013). A Case Study of Tropical Cyclone Evan around Samoa (Report). World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Review of the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 Cyclone Seasons" (PDF). Samoa Meteorological Division. October 12, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad d'Aubert, AnaMaria; Nunn, Patrick D. "Database 1: Tropical Cyclones (1558 - 1970)". Furious Winds and Parched Islands: Tropical Cyclones (1558–1970) and Droughts (1722–1987) in the Pacific. pp. 58–171. ISBN 978-1-4691-7008-4.
  6. ^ a b c d Basher, Reid; Collen, Bronwen; Fitzharris, Blair; Hay, John; Mullan, Brett; Salinger, Jim (April 1992). "Appendix 4: Tropical Cyclones affecting the Southwest Pacific 1830 – 1989". Preliminary Studies for South Pacific Climate Change (PDF). New Zealand Meteorological Service. p. 51. ISBN 047707345X. Cite error: The named reference "Climate Change" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Information Sheet No. 27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Climatologicsl Data: Hawaii and Pacific: January 1972 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 69. United States Climatic Center. p. 3. Retrieved July 12, 2020.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: February 1982 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 24. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2020. {{cite report}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 9, 2020 suggested (help)
  10. ^ a b Tanner, Roger W; Miller, Vince (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: February 1990 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 32. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 101. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  11. ^ Barstow, Stephen; Haug, Ola. The Wave Climate of Western Samoa (PDF) (Report). South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Goodge, Grant W (ed.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: March 1992 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 34. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 101. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Goodge, Grant W (ed.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: January 1993 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 35. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  14. ^ a b c d e Del Greco, Stephen; Hinson, Stuart (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: January 1998 (PDF) (Report). United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  15. ^ a b RSMC Nadi Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Summary 1997-98 (PDF) (Report). Fiji Meteorological Service. August 29, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 1, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  16. ^ "Samoans examining damage from Cyclone Tui". Pacific Islands Report. January 27, 1998. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  17. ^ Del Greco, Stephen; Hinson, Stuart (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: December 1998 (PDF) (Report). United States National Climatic Data Center. pp. 15–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  18. ^ https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5444668
  19. ^ a b Kraft, Joseph E; Herndon, Rhonda (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: January 2010 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 52. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 239. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  20. ^ Kraft, Joseph E; Herndon, Rhonda L (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: February 2010 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 52. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 164. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  21. ^ Kraft, Joseph E; Herndon, Rhonda L (eds.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: January 2011 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 53. United States National Climatic Data Center. p. 187. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Samoa Review 2016-2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Nave, Sherri (ed.). Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena: December 2017 (PDF) (Report). Vol. 59. United States National Centers for Environmental Information. p. 127. Retrieved July 14, 2020.

External links edit

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