Cyclone Nigel

Meteorological history

Severe Tropical Cyclone Nigel was first noted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) as an ill-defined low, located within the Intertropical Convergence Zone near the Cape York Peninsula during January 1985. Over the next several days, the system gradually moved eastwards into the Coral Sea, before the BoM reported that a tropical low had developed about 480 km (300 mi) to the northeast of Townsville, Queensland during 14 January. Over the next couple of days, the low continued to develop further as it moved eastwards, before on 16 January, the United States Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories and designated the system as Tropical Cyclone 13P. Later that day, the BoM named the system Nigel after an eye had become distinct on satellite imagery and it had developed into a modern day category 2 tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. At this stage, the newly named system was located about 1010 km (630 mi) to the northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu and was moving out of the Australian region and into South Pacific basin, where it came under the purview of the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).

As the newly named system moved into the basin on 17 January, the FMS reported that Nigel had become a hurricane or a category 3 severe tropical cyclone, with 10-minute sustained windspeeds estimated at 120 km/h (75 mph). The system subsequently accelerated eastwards during that day, before it passed very near or over various islands in northern Vanuatu including Espiritu Santo, Malo, Ambae, and Pentecost. After moving through northern Vanuatu, Nigel started to move south-eastwards towards Fiji, before at around 00:00 UTC (12:00 Fiji Standard Time) on 19 January, the JTWC reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute sustained wind speeds of 195 km/h (120 mph), which made it equivalent to a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. At around the same time, the FMS estimated that Nigel had peaked with 10-minute sustained wind speeds of 140–150 km/h (85–90 mph), which made it a category 3 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian scale. At this stage, the system was located about 200 km (125 mi) to the northeast of Nadi and its eye had started to appear on the radar at Nadi airport. Radar imagery showed that the hurricane had started to weaken as it had a large clear area next to its eyewall, which the FMS speculated was due to strong vertical windshear and drier air driven up from higher latitudes by Cyclone Eric.

On 19 January, the system moved south-eastwards through Fiji's Yasawa Islands and Mamanuca Islands before it made landfall on Viti Levu to the west of Ba at about 05.15 UTC (17.15 FST). Over the next few hours frictional forces and a decrease in its moisture intake caused the system to weaken further, while it also slowed down and started to move eastwards. By about 09.00 UTC (21.00 FST), Nigel had emerged back into the Pacific Ocean and near Wakaya in the Lomaiviti Islands, while the FMS estimated that the system had weakened into a category 1 tropical cyclone. During that day, Nigel continued to move eastwards and passed near the Lau Islands of Cicia and Tuvuca, before it passed through Tonga's Haʻapai group of islands and about 160 km (100 mi) to the south of Alofi, Niue during 20 January. Over the next few days, the system continued to be monitored by both the FMS and New Zealand's Meteorological Service, before it was last noted on 28 January, while located about 800 km (495 mi) to the north of Auckland, New Zealand.