Island Climate Update 72 - September 2006

Review of Recent Tropical Cyclone Climatological Research
Howard J. Diamond, NOAA/National Climatic Data Center and the University of Auckland
Figure 1. Tropical Cylone intensity in the South West Pacific
Averaged across all global ocean basins, the tropical cyclone (TC) season of 2005 saw an above normal (1981–2000 base) number of tropical storms, but fewer hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones (HTC) or major HTCs than average.

Climate developments in August 2006
Outgoing Long-wave Radiation anomalies for August 2006. (Click for enlargement and detail)
During August, convection associated with the SPCZ has been concentrated in the region west of the Date Line; a pattern that has been evident since June 2006. This month much of the SPCZ activity occurred over the Solomon Islands. There were weak regions of enhanced convection over Vanuatu and Tuvalu. A region of weakly suppressed convection affected the Northern Cook Islands and region north of Tokelau.
Exceptionally high rainfall occurred in parts of Niue.

Tropical rainfall outlook: September to November 2006
Rainfall outlook map for August to October 2006.

Tropical pacific rainfall - August 2006
Territory and station name
August 2006 rainfall
total (mm)
August 2006 percent
of average
Australia
Cairns Airport
14.4
53
Townsville Airport
0.0
0
Brisbane Airport
25.6
43
Sydney Airport
86.6
79
Cook Islands
Rarotonga EWS
181.2
166
Fiji
Rotuma
182.6
88
Udu Point
68.1
80
Nadi
104.4
161
Nausori
112.0
76
Ono-I-Lau
65.2
55
French Polynesia
Hiva Hoa, Atuona
166.0
118
Bora Bora Motu
92.2
174
Tahiti – Faa’a
91.8
187
Tuamotu, Takaroa
113.2
183
Gambier, Rikitea
272.8
164
Tubuai
91.4
67
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An overview of the present climate in the tropical South Pacific Islands, with an outlook for the coming months, to assist in dissemination of climate information in the Pacific region.
Number 72 – September 2006
August’s climate
South Pacifi c Convergence Zone (SPCZ) more active west of the Date Line
Exceptionally high rainfall in parts of Niue
Wet weather persists in the Southern Cook Islands and central French Polynesia
Temperature: above average in Tonga and northern French Polynesia; below average in parts of New Caledonia
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and seas

Sources of South Pacific rainfall data
This bulletin is a multi-national project with important collaboration from the following Pacific nations:
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
French Polynesia
Kiribati
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Requests for Pacific island climate data should be directed to the Meteorological Services concerned.
Acknowledgements
This bulletin is made possible with financial support from the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), Wellington, New Zealand, wi