Tropical Cyclones [Index]

Southern Hemisphere 1998-1999 Tropical Cyclone Season Review [Summaries and Track Data] [Prepared by Gary Padgett]

             A REVIEW OF THE 1998-1999 TROPICAL CYCLONE SEASON


                       FOR THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE


     Following is a tabular summary of all the tropical depressions
  and tropical cyclones which occurred in the Southern Hemisphere
  between 1 July 1998 and 30 June 1999 as reported in the Monthly
  Global Tropical Cyclone Summaries prepared by the author.


    (1) Number - this is the cyclone warning number assigned by JTWC
                 in Hawaii (or NPMOC for systems in the South Pacific
                 east of longitude 180).


    (2) Name - the name (if any) assigned by the responsible Tropical
               Cyclone Warning Centre.  For systems in the South Indian
               west of 90E and in the Southwest Pacific east of 160E
               which were unnamed, the alphanumeric designator applied
               by La Reunion or Fiji, respectively, is given in this
               column.


    (3) Dates - range of dates for which tracking information for the 
                cyclone is available in the Global Tropical Cyclone
                Tracks documents prepared by the author.  The dates
                given in most cases refer to the time the system was
                in warning status and generally do not include the
                pre-depression stages of the disturbance.


    (4) Pressure - Lowest central pressure (either estimated or recorded)
                   during the lifetime of the cyclone. An asterisk (*) 
                   following the pressure indicates the reading was an
                   actual measured pressure.   Central pressure is given
                   in millibars, which is numerically equivalent to
                   hectopascals.


    (5) MSW 1-min avg- maximum 1-minute average sustained windspeed in 
                       knots as assigned by JTWC or NPMOC.  An asterisk
                       (*) following the MSW indicates that it was an
                       actual measured value.


    (6) MSW 10-min avg - maximum 10-minute average sustained windspeed
                         in knots as assigned by the responsible Tropical
                         Cyclone Warning Centre.     An asterisk (*)
                         following the MSW indicates that it was an
                         actual measured value.


    (7) Basins - tropical cyclone basins where the cyclone tracked during
                 its life:


                 SIO - South Indian Ocean West of 90E
                 AUS - Australian Region From 90E to 160E
                 SWP - Southwest Pacific East of 160E


     A number in parentheses (e.g. (1) ) following an entry refers to
  a note following the entries for the given basin.   A separate table
  is given for each of the three Southern Hemisphere basins.


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                         SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN BASIN


 JTWC    NAME                DATES          CENT    MSW   MSW    BASIN
 NUM                                        PRS   1-MIN 10-MIN
                                            (mb)   (kts) (kts)
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


 01S  H49798                20-25 Jul        998     30    30     SIO (1)
 ---  A19899                03-06 Sep       1002     --    25     SIO
 02S  A29899                29 Sep-02 Oct   1002     40    25     SIO
 ---  A49899                04-06 Jan        996     --    30     SIO
 12S  Alda                  14-19 Jan        975     55    52     SIO
 17S  Chikita               30 Jan-05 Feb    990     40    37     SIO
 21S  D19899                11-16 Feb        994     45    33     SIO
 23S  D29899/E19899         23 Feb-04 Mar   1000     30    25     SIO (2)
 25S  Davina                02-15 Mar        930    105    90     SIO
 29S  E39899                11-20 Mar        995     35    30     SIO


 (1) In the South Indian Ocean basin, the cyclone season (for naming and
     numbering purposes) is considered to run from 1 August through
     31 July of the following year;  thus, the tropical depression in
     July was the last system of the 1997-1998 season.


 (2) Warnings on this disturbance were re-designated as "E1" when
     Tropical Cyclone Davina was named since this system was then the
     first disturbance to be in advisory status following the allotment
     of the "D" name.


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                             AUSTRALIAN REGION


 JTWC    NAME                DATES          CENT    MSW   MSW    BASIN
 NUM                                        PRS   1-MIN 10-MIN
                                            (mb)   (kts) (kts)
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


 03S  Zelia                 07-10 Oct        985     45    55     AUS
 04S  Alison                08-13 Nov        975     70    60     AUS
 05S  Billy                 02-06 Dec        975     65    60     AUS
 06S  Thelma                04-15 Dec        925    135   120     AUS
 ---  -----                 07-13 Dec       1000     --    25     AUS
 10S  Cathy                 24-30 Dec        995     40    45     AUS
 ---  -----                 28 Dec-02 Jan    996     --    30     AUS
 13P  Olinda                19-24 Jan        985     55    55     AUS/SWP
 14P  Pete                  21-27 Jan        985     50    50     AUS/SWP
 15S  Damien/Birenda        21 Jan-03 Feb    955     80    78     AUS/SIO
 16P  -----                 24-27 Jan        993     35    30     AUS
 18S  -----                 03-09 Feb        995     40    40     AUS (1)
 20P  Rona                  10-12 Feb        970     65    71*    AUS (2)
 26S  E29899 (3)            06-19 Mar        999     35    33     AUS/SIO
 28S  Elaine                16-20 Mar        960    100    75     AUS
 30S  Vance                 16-24 Mar        915    125   110     AUS (4)
 ---  -----                 20-21 Mar        996     30    25     AUS
 31S  Frederic/Evrina       25 Mar-08 Apr    915    140   110     AUS/SIO
 32S  Gwenda                03-07 Apr        915    130   110     AUS
 ---  -----                 16-19 Apr        999     35    35     AUS (1)
 33S  Hamish/F19899 (5)     19-24 Apr        985     45    55     AUS/SIO


 (1) In WMO Region V (Australia and the South Pacific), the definition
     of a tropical cyclone requires that the center be surrounded by
     gales.  This stipulation was added in order to weed out some
     poorly organized tropical depressions which might have (usually)
     peripheral gales in one or two quadrants only due to a tight
     pressure gradient with a nearby anticyclone.     Therefore,
     occasionally a system will be carried as a tropical depression
     (or tropical LOW) but for which the maximum winds are exceeding
     gale force.


 (2) An AWS on Low Isle recorded a peak 10-min MSW of 71 kts with gusts
     to 85 kts during the passage of Tropical Cyclone Rona.


 (3) Designated as "E2" after crossing into the SIO basin.


 (4) Tropical Cyclone Vance was responsible for the highest wind gust
     ever recorded on the Australian mainland--145 kts at the Learmonth
     Meteorological Office.


 (5) Designated as "F1" after crossing into the SIO basin.  The system
     was still at minimal tropical storm intensity for a few hours west
     of 90E but was not named Francine by the Mauritius Meteorological
     Agency.


 ************************************************************************


                          SOUTHWEST PACIFIC OCEAN


 JTWC    NAME                DATES          CENT    MSW   MSW    BASIN
 NUM                                        PRS   1-MIN 10-MIN
                                            (mb)   (kts) (kts)
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------


 07P  -----                 15-17 Dec        999     35    40     SWP (1)
 08P  02F (Fiji)            22-24 Dec        997     50    35     SWP (2)
 09P  Cora                  21-28 Dec        960     90    75     SWP
 11P  Dani                  14-24 Jan        930    110    95     SWP
 19P  Ella                  10-14 Feb        987     45    45     SWP
 22P  Frank                 17-23 Feb        955    100    80     SWP
 ---  17F (Fiji)            18-19 Feb        995     --    40     SWP (1)
 24P  Gita                  27 Feb-02 Mar    990     50    45     SWP
 27P  Hali                  11-19 Mar        975     45    65     SWP
 ---  20F (Fiji)            15-18 Mar        997     --    35     SWP
 ---  26F (Fiji)            20-27 May        972     --    55     SWP (3)


 (1) In WMO Region V (Australia and the South Pacific), the definition
     of a tropical cyclone requires that the center be surrounded by
     gales.  This stipulation was added in order to weed out some
     poorly organized tropical depressions which might have (usually)
     peripheral gales in one or two quadrants only due to a tight
     pressure gradient with a nearby anticyclone.     Therefore,
     occasionally a system will be carried as a tropical depression
     (or tropical LOW) but for which the maximum winds are exceeding
     gale force.


 (2) This system was likely not fully tropical as it exhibited some
     characteristics of a baroclinic depression.


 (3) This system likewise was probably some sort of hybrid-type storm,
     although there were some meteorologists who would have classified
     it as a tropical cyclone.  The minimum central pressure and peak
     MSW occurred after the storm had become predominantly extratropical
     and was racing southeastward at higher latitudes.



 Prepared by Gary Padgett
 E-mail: [email protected]
 Home Phone: 334-222-5327
 Work Phone: 850-882-2594